Biden sees presidential odds fall while Kamala Harris rises just hours after disastrous debate
Joe Biden’s odds of remaining the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee have fallen just hours after his debate with Donald Trump, according to one sports-betting website.
While Biden is still the favored candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris remains far behind, her odds jumped after the debate, according to Oddschecker, a site that provides odds and analysis by aggregating information from sportsbooks.
Biden’s odds dropped by roughly 40 percent between last week and Friday morning. Meanwhile, Harris saw her odds nearly double over the same period, according to Oddschecker.
Other notable Democrats also saw their odds of becoming the nominee jump after the debate. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer saw her odds triple between last week and Friday. California Governor Gavin Newsom, who spoke in the post-debate spin room in support of Biden, saw his odds double.
Hoarse and raspy, Biden appeared frail during the CNN showdown in Atlanta, with the White House later saying he had a cold. Amid gaffes and misstatements, the president later rallied to rebuke rival Donald Trump over his sordid personal history and record in office. Trump repeated lies and falsehoods throughout, often failing to answer questions. He was pressed three times on whether he would accept November’s results, and refused to say he would.
After the debate, two-thirds of viewers declared Trump the winner, in a CNN snap poll. Even Harris admitted that Biden had struggled. “Yes, it was a slow start. That’s obvious to everyone,” she in an interview after the debate on Thursday.
The president’s poor performance has sent many Democrats into “panic mode”.
“The expectations for Joe Biden were low, but he didn’t come close to meeting them,” one Democratic strategist told The Independent.
Another Democratic strategist told The Independent the debate was “horrible.”
“Need to have Harris take over,” the person said. “Cleanest option.”
Harris’ name has been floated as a potential replacement but some experts toldThe Washington Post that it was unlikely.
“Biden represents a compromise holding together the broad and potentially fractured coalition of the Democratic Party,” Hans Noel, a political science professor at Georgetown University, said. “Any attempt to find a replacement will bring those fractures to the fore. Finding another candidate that everyone is comfortable with might be difficult.”
It is still possible for Biden to be replaced as the candidate but he is unlikely to step down. “Of course he’s not dropping out,” Seth Schuster, a Biden campaign spokesperson, told The Hill.
While Biden’s performance was widely considered disappointing, he did have strong moments. Biden laid into Trump over his alleged affair with porn star Stormy Daniels and the recent civil ruling that found him liable for sexually abusing writer E Jean Carrol.
“The crimes that you are still charged with — think of all the civil penalties you have,” Biden said. “How many millions of dollars do you owe in civil penalties for molesting a woman in public? For doing a whole range of things? Of having sex with a porn star...while wife was pregnant?”
Biden went on to say Trump has the “morals of an alley cat.” His attacks came after Trump brought up his son, Hunter Biden, who was recently found guilty on federal gun charges.
