Harris becomes betting favorite in presidential election odds after swing state barnstorm
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris stands as the slight betting favorite over Republican nominee former President Donald Trump to win the White House.
The action, which U.S. bookmakers cannot take part in legally, has taken a definitive swing towards the vice president in the three weeks she has led the campaign. The movement accelerated as she barnstormed swing states with running mate and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
The two major candidates started the campaign with Trump leading Harris at -200 to +200 at U.K. bookmaker Bet365. The betting house had Harris in the lead at -125 with Trump at even money, as of late Sunday.
Harris took the lead at U.K. Bookmaker Betfair Exchange Thursday with her lead growing after Trump's press conference the same day.
"The past 3 weeks have shown her defying expectations again and again, with punters gaining more confidence that she can credibly challenge Trump in November," Betfair Exchange spokesperson Sam Rosbottom said in an email to USA TODAY. "Will she maintain her momentum with the punters? Time will tell."
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Presidential election odds timeline
Presidential election odds as of August 11
Bet 365
Kamala Harris: -125
Donald Trump: EVEN
Betfair Exchange
Kamala Harris: -105
Donald Trump: +120
Bovada
Kamala Harris: -105
Donald Trump: +120
BetOnline
Kamala Harris: -125
Donald Trump: +105
Oddschecker
Kamala Harris: -104
Donald Trump: +115
How accurate have election odds been in past presidential elections?
The betting favorite has only lost twice since 1866, according to the Conversation, a nonprofit news organization.
The two upsets came in 1948, when Harry Truman (D) beat eight-to-one odds to defeat Thomas Dewey (R), and in 2016, when Trump overcame seven-to-two odds to beat Hillary Clinton.
Biden was the betting favorite in the 2020 race, holding the pole position with Oddscheker from May through November.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Harris takes Presidential Election betting odds lead from Trump
