Biden surges ahead of Trump for first time as favorite to win election, oddsmakers say
For the first time, President Donald Trump is not favored to win the 2020 presidential election, according to Bookies.com.
Former Vice President Joe Biden is now the betting favorite at -110 odds to win the election, the betting service said. Trump, who was at -114 odds last week, dipped to +105.
Those odds mean that if you bet $100 on Biden to win the election, you will come away with $190.91 if the former Vice President becomes the next president. If you bet $100 on Trump to retain the presidency and he remains in office, you will win $205.
“It seems Trump’s words and actions, or lack thereof, in dealing with nationwide protests has played the biggest part,” Bookies.com states of his fall. Biden has “steadily built momentum in recent weeks,” the website said in a release.
A new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll released this week found 31% of voters say the country is headed in the right direction, while 69% say it’s headed in the wrong direction — the largest number who have expressed concern about the country’s future during the Trump administration in the poll.
And a Monmouth University poll this week found Biden leading Trump 52% to 41% among registered voters. It’s part of a growing trend for Biden, who has seen his lead over Trump increase from 3% in March to 4% in April to 9% in May in prior polls.
“The initial reaction to ongoing racial unrest in the country suggests that most voters feel Trump is not handling the situation all that well,” said Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute.
Biden has been vocal about the president’s response following numerous cases of police brutality and the subsequent protests.
“Look, the presidency is a big job. Nobody will get everything right. And I won’t either. But I promise you this. I won’t traffic in fear and division,” Biden said Tuesday, according to Politico. “I won’t fan the flames of hate. I will seek to heal the racial wounds that have long plagued this country — not use them for political gain.”
Dan Eberhart, a Republican donor, told Time that Trump’s chances for a second election win “are going down in flames with that Autozone building, police precinct building and burning police cars.”
Bookies.com also lists Kamala Harris as the favorite for Biden’s vice presidential pick. The California senator is at +125 odds, while Florida U.S. Representative Val Demings has surged to the second-best odds at +450.
Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar’s odds have tumbled after her law enforcement record came under scrutiny following the death of George Floyd. She now has +1200 odds, which is worse than Michelle Obama, who has repeatedly said she has no interest in running.
“The gains made by Demings and, to a lesser degree, Harris are undoubtedly tied to Klobuchar’s slipping odds amid the unrest in Minneapolis and around the nation,” Bookies.com wrote.
This story was originally published June 3, 2020 at 11:28 AM with the headline "Biden surges ahead of Trump for first time as favorite to win election, oddsmakers say."