2016 Presidential Election Betting Odds
The presidential election of 2016 is soon to be upon us, so get ready to make your picks and place your bets. Things are going to get heated. There are going to be debates, petty arguments between friends, neighbors, and colleagues, and you are going to be inundated with leaflets and junk mail promoting your favorite (or least favorite) politicos. When all of this starts to become unbearably annoying, you can alleviate your aggravation by betting on who will win the rat race.
There are several excellent online sportsbooks that allow you to bet on elections. You can wager on who will become the next president, which political party will emerge victorious, or who will end up as the biggest loser. This page will help you figure out how to bet on the 2016 presidential election. It will also give you some details on the individual candidates and their political positions. Finally, it will give you the most current odds of each candidate.
Current Betting Odds For The 2016 Presidential Election
The 2016 presidential election cycle has been nothing short of historic, and it’s anyone’s guess who is winning the presidential race this year. Hillary Clinton, former Secretary of State, is on the verge of becoming the first female president in the United States, but first, she’ll have to defeat real estate tycoon Donald Trump. Ms. Clinton does hold the lead with less than 48 hours until the final vote is cast, and the Vegas odds on who will win the 2016 presidential election cast her as a 1/5 favorite. Her odds improved dramatically over the weekend after the FBI released a statement saying that they would no longer carry on the investigation into the email scandal that has been plaguing the Clinton camp for over a year now.
Donald Trump completes the second half of this historic election cycle. As a political outsider who has never held office before, Mr. Trump came into this campaign with everyone against him. But his blunt manner of speaking and status as a non-conformer has not only won him the GOP nomination but has apparently spoken to a majority of voters. Mr. Trump has trailed behind Ms. Clinton for much of this campaign season, not only in polls but also in odds. He stands as the underdog, at 7/2 odds. But if this election has proven anything, it’s that we should expect the unexpected. Perhaps Mr. Trump will be able to pull off the hail Mary after all and become our next POTUS.
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Who Can I Bet On?
The best sportsbooks that offer political betting let you wager on all the major Democratic and Republican candidates. This year, the field is much more lopsided; there are only a few Democrats versus a huge bumper crop of Republicans, all trying to scratch and claw their way to the top. This is going to make the race very interesting. It’s already proving to be quite chaotic, with two oddball candidates on either sides shaking things up, trying to throw a wrench in the Washington hype-machine. Let’s take a look at the individual candidates, starting with the Dems.
Democratic Candidates
The Democrats have been playing it smart so far this election season, and that is one reason why the odds are currently in their favor to take the White House in 2016. Unlike the fractured Republican Party, the Dems are all rallying behind Hillary Clinton. Also working in their favor is the fact that they only have two major contenders versus the GOP’s dozen or so hopefuls.
Bernie Sanders
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders is a former independent now running as the populist Democrat for the 2016 election. He resonates with working-class Democrats and Independents who are attracted to his anti-corporate stance and socialist leanings. He is especially popular among college students and young people who are dissatisfied with the Washington mainstream. He has mounted a mostly grassroots campaign, supported by a fervent fan-base. His devil-may-care attitude toward politics is refreshing to many disaffected Americans.
The chances that ole’ Bern will win the presidency are slim, however. His odds are currently about +1450, making him an extreme long shot. His main problem is that he is not moderate enough. He labels himself a socialist, which scares most people away immediately. He is strongly ideological, and the likelihood of him being able to get things done in Washington seems small. Ironically, it is this very lack of compromise that makes him so appealing to frustrated liberals. He is a threat to the Washington establishment, much like Republican nominee Donald Trump.
Hillary Clinton
All the major odds-makers predict that Hillary Clinton will be the next POTUS. Her odds are currently around -145 on average. Even more impressive are her odds of -2000 to become the Democratic nominee. The fact that an overwhelming majority of Dems are rallying behind Hilly is definitely one reason for her odds to win the Presidency. The Democrats are unified, unlike the Republicans, who simply have too many candidates, none of whom have complete support of everyone in the Party. Also working in her favor is her overall experience and political savvy.
Of course, Clinton has her detractors, even among some Democrats. She is thought by many to be cold, unlikeable, and untrustworthy. She is obviously a politician, unlike Democratic nominee Bernie Sanders and his Republican counterpart, Donald Trump. Also, she has been involved in some controversy recently. In 2012, while she was Secretary of State, Islamic militants attacked the US diplomatic outpost in Libya, killing four Americans. Critics say that Clinton deliberately lied about knowing crucial details of the attack. More recently, much has been made of her private email server, which contained official communications related to her job as Secretary of State. Critics contend that official government emails should not have been kept on a private server, going so far as to insinuate that Clinton was hiding something.
Republican Candidates
The Republican presidential field is crowded with hopefuls. So far, it has been interesting to watch who has risen and fallen over the past few months. Jeb Bush was once a favorite, but his numbers have sunk to an all-time low recently. Of course, Donald Trump has been the wild card so far, and I don’t think anyone can deny that he’s been entertaining. However, his angry rhetoric is a deal-breaker for many people. Ben Carson is a dark horse candidate, a gifted neurosurgeon whose calm demeanor is the opposite of Trump’s bombast. However, Carson has made some bizarre statements lately that could prove to be his downfall. This leaves no less than 11(!) candidates in the Republican camp. Let’s give each of them a closer look.
Donald Trump
For most of the political season, Trump has been the most popular candidate. His faux-working-class Man of the People shtick and righteous anger appeals to a base element of the GOP. You can’t deny that he is entertaining, though, and a welcome breath of fresh air in an otherwise staid election season. His constant controversial comments have shaken and stirred things up, creating a ripple effect of chaos that has resonated throughout the GOP. Trump’s popularity is the clearest indicator that many people are fed up with politicians. They want someone who isn’t afraid to speak their mind, no matter how toxic it may be.
The big question is whether Trump can win. The Donald is so popular that it might be a stupid mistake for the GOP not to give him the nom. In a recent poll, 68 percent of Trump supporters said they would still vote for him if he ran as an independent. Were this to actually happen, it could be the death knell for the GOP in 2016. If Trump does get the nomination, can he actually win? Most pundits say no. The odds of him actually becoming the POTUS is around +625. The problem is that Trump is just too divisive. Moreover, as the race heats up, he is going to have to engage in actual debate with candidates who have a good grasp of domestic and foreign policy, something that Trump has shown to be lacking in.
Ben Carson
Like Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders on the left, Ben Carson has run a quite successful grassroots campaign. The former neurosurgeon, Yale graduate, and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient has a levelheaded and calm demeanor that is in stark contrast to rival Donald Trump. Like Trump, Carson is completely lacking in the experience department. Of course, this “outsider”-ness appeals to a certain segment of American voters, but there is a huge question of what a Carson presidency would actually look like. Would Carson be able to get anything done in Washington? This is a serious question on many voters’ minds. Carson has made some bizarre comments recently (the pyramids were built by aliens) and has strangely tried to tarnish his nice-guy image by referring to his supposedly violent past (“when I was 14 I tried to stab someone”). Oddly enough, his support among Republicans is at a staggering 71 percent! Even so, the odds of Carson winning the GOP nomination are somewhere between +1,200 and +2,200.
Marco Rubio
The Senator from Florida is the current favorite to win the Republican nomination for President, with odds around +140. Rubio is known as an articulate and eloquent speaker, with solid conservative cred. The 44-year old hopeful is selling himself as the youthful and energetic new face of the Party, and his Cuban-American and Catholic background resonates with the conservative Hispanic population. His ability to speak fluent Spanish doesn’t hurt, either. Also, Mr. Rubio has been smart to distance himself from the inflammatory rhetoric of Donald Trump, lambasting the billionaire tycoon for his derogatory comments about Muslim-Americans.
Even though he currently has the best chance of winning the Republican nomination, he is not the most popular candidate. Although he has had some political experience, his age might actually work against him. Establishment Republicans have a tendency to pick candidates who have “been around the block,” so to speak. Take a look at Mitt Romney, George W. Bush, George H.W. Bush, Bob Dole, Ronald Reagan, and Richard Nixon. All of these guys had run at least once before. However, Rubio’s lead (along with the popularity of Carson and Trump) suggest that Republicans are sick and tired of the establishment. But will the GOP forgive Rubio for his immigration reform plan that could have led to citizenship for many illegals? Only time will tell.
Carly Fiorina
The candidate with the least likelihood of winning the Republican nomination (and becoming president) is Carly Fiorina. The former CEO of Hewlett Packard, she is a staunch conservative whose ideas resonate with many GOP voters. Working in her favor is her skillfulness in debates. However, she lacks a strong position on many important economic and social issues. She has never held elected office, and her record at Hewlett Packard was dismal. She had no experience as head of a company and was fired after six years. Several major business publications named her the worst tech CEO of all time. Her track record as head of HP is not something she will be able to live down. Fiorina’s odds are currently the worst of all the candidates at +5,000.
Chris Christie
The governor from New Jersey talks tough and has a certain charisma, but his split from the GOP platform on key issues such as global warming, gun control, and immigration make him appear as somewhat of a traitor to the Republican Party. Also, his brashness and hotness of temper sometimes make him seem like a bully. He has been known to insult people who ask him questions. Furthermore, his current approval ratings as governor of New Jersey hover at a dismal thirty percent. The odds of Christie securing the Republican nomination average around +1,750.
John Kasich
Ohio governor and former chairman of the House Budget Committee John Kasich is pretty conservative when it comes to most of the big issues. However, simply towing the party line is not enough to secure a presidential nomination. Kasich’s main problem is that most people don’t know very much about him. He hasn’t mounted much of a campaign so far, making him a bit of a political lightweight. The odds on Kasich to win the nomination are very, very slim. Various odds-makers put him somewhere between +2,500 and +5,000. That’s a big discrepancy, but when the odds are that bad, it hardly even matters.
Ted Cruz
The Senator from Texas currently has the third-best odds of securing the Republican nomination. His odds to win the GOP nomination are somewhere around +400. His chances of winning the actual presidency are much slimmer, with odds somewhere between +750 and +1,000. More than the other candidates, Cruz is going after a very specific voting base: namely, conservative evangelical Christians. He chose Liberty University (founded by Jerry Falwell) as the place to make his big announcement. The son of an evangelical pastor, Cruz’s devout Christian upbringing strikes a chord with the religious right. However, there is a lingering question of whether Cruz can expand beyond his base.
Jeb Bush
At one time, Jeb Bush was the favorite to cinch the GOP nomination, but no other candidate has seen such a drastic decline in popularity. The former governor of Florida, brother of George W. Bush and son of George H.W. Bush, he is perhaps the most moderate of the GOP candidates. However, it seems crystal clear that the GOP is not interested in nominating moderate. Many Republicans consider him too soft on big issues like immigration. Besides, Jeb lacks the charisma of his brother, and he hasn’t been able to connect with ordinary, working-class Americans. The final strike against him is his family name. After the debacle that was the George W. Bush presidency, many Americans, Republicans included, are not comfortable electing another member of the Bush political dynasty. His odds to win the GOP nomination average around +900.
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The 2016 presidential election is less than a year away, but the oddsmakers have already posted their picks for the winners and losers. The best sportsbooks for the 2016 presidential election let you bet on all kinds of aspects, including the Republican nominee, the Democratic nominee, and of course, the next president of the United States. It’s sure to be one heck of a race. Will it end up being a faceoff between Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders? Or will voters stick with mainstream establishment candidates like Marco Rubio and Hillary Clinton? It’s anybody’s guess at this point. If you want to keep up with the latest odds, there are some great sportsbooks that give you the most accurate and up-to-date odds you’ll find anywhere. So don’t wait until the last minute to join. Sign up today with the one of these awesome sports betting sites to get the most band for your buck.
