The next presidential election will take place on Tuesday 3 November 2020, with the winner inaugurated on 20 January 2021. An overwhelming number of Democrats have launched campaigns to become the Democratic nominee. A total of 29 major players threw their hats in the ring – the largest number of would-be nominees that any party has seen in post-reform politics. This had fallen to 15 by early December 2019.
So, who should you be paying close attention to as the process progresses? The Democratic Nominee latest odds favor Joe Biden at the time of writing, followed by Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and Pete Buttigieg. Buttigieg, who, at a tender 37 years old, could become the youngest US president in history – an accolade currently held by Theodore Roosevelt, who was 42 when he succeeded William McKinley.
Placing bets early on in the presidential election process can reap impressive rewards. One gambler who placed a number of bets relating to Donald Trump becoming president in 2016 collected $2.5 million during the course of his campaign.The bookies’ favorite for the Democratic nomination at this point is Joe Biden, but a lot can happen over the course of a campaign. There are certainly some interesting characters for bettors to back between now and the Democratic Convention in July, when the winner will make their acceptance speech.
Michael Bloomberg has, at the time of writing, odds of 13/1 for becoming the next Democratic nominee. Hillary Clinton is at 24/1, Andrew Yang at 33/1, Amy Klobuchar at 41/1 and Michelle Obama at 119/1. All other candidates currently have odds in excess of 200/1.
This means that the front runners currently include President Obama’s former Vice President (Biden), a Wall Street critic (Warren), a progressive anti-establishment campaigner (Sanders), an openly gay millennial (Buttigieg), a tech entrepreneur (Yang), a financial publishing mogul and ex-New York Mayor (Bloomberg), and a former prosecutor (Klobuchar), among others.
Democrats will elect their nominee over the course of February to June, during presidential primaries and caucuses held in all 50 states, as well as in the District of Columbia, five US territories, and via Democrats Abroad.
For gamblers, the process can be an exciting one, with odds changing in response to both political events (the primaries and caucuses) and personal ones (news stories – including fake news). There are months of potential changes ahead, with bettors able to cash out at various points along the way – or hold out until the final announcement in the summer.
At this stage in the process, there is still everything to play for. All 15 of the remaining candidates have a credible offering in terms of their abilities, their policy stances and their vision for the future not just of the Democratic Party but for the US as a whole. Ultimately, one of those 15 candidates will stand against the Republicans in the election later this year. It’s up to
gamblers between now and July to judge who is the most likely to end up in that position and to place their bets accordingly!