It is fair to say that the last few weeks have been rather surreal. Even before Election Day, there was a wide range of opinion about what would happen on November 8th. The popular vote was fairly close between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. However, after voting began in most parts of the country on November 8th, the scale of the rejection of Hillary Clinton and the electoral college victory of Donald Trump became strikingly obvious.
What Were The Political Betting Lines?
Aside from the obvious political shockwaves that followed the results of the election, there have been a number of interesting betting markets that have emerged around it. Many sports books, for example, made significant betting markets on the presidential election. Here’s a look at what the betting line was for some of the more interesting races:
Hillary Clinton – The Favorite To Become The Republic’s Next President
When the polls were released in early October, few people gave Hillary Clinton much of a chance at being elected. However, after a very public struggle with pneumonia which delayed her travels until later in the month, Clinton was suddenly the favorite to become the next president of the United States. While many saw her public health incident as a death blow to her campaign, it turned out to be a major boost. Clinton’s pneumonia and subsequent return helped her to close the gap with rival Donald Trump in the polls. As of this writing, it’s looking like Hillary Clinton will become the 45th president of the United States.
What About The Donald Trump Effect?
Prior to the start of the 2016 presidential election cycle, very few people gave much thought to Donald Trump as a presidential candidate. Following his campaign launch speech in June, however, Trump became the complete opposite of a long shot. Since then, he has continued to climb the polls to close to the point where he currently even has a chance at being the 2020 presidential candidate. Although some have dismissed his candidacy as a joke, the fact of the matter is that he may well end up being the next president of the United States.
Bernie Sanders – The Man Who Could Beat The Favorite
One of the more interesting matchups from a betting standpoint is that of Bernie Sanders (D) versus Hillary Clinton (D). Even before his pneumonia and subsequent return from the hospital, Bernie Sanders had polled higher than Hillary in just about every matchup. When he returned from the hospital, his chances of winning increased even more. As of this writing, Bernie Sanders is the favorite to win the Democratic nomination for president and he has a good chance at taking on Hillary Clinton in November. If he somehow manages to pull this off, it would be a monumental upset.
On the other side, Donald Trump would have a better chance at beating Hillary Clinton than most people think. Although it is extremely unlikely, there is still a chance that Trump could become the 2020 presidential candidate. If he somehow manages to pull this off, it would be one of the biggest shocks in American history.
While it would be quite the upset if either of these men were to take on Hillary Clinton in the general election, it would be a major breakthrough if a third party candidate managed to pull this off. Indeed, if there is one issue the American public agrees on it is that they want a third party. It’s just that nobody can seem to agree on which one.
Brexit – Who Will England Remain Loyal To?
The United Kingdom’s decision to leave the European Union was not something that many people saw coming. Prior to the referendum, virtually nobody in positions of power or authority in the United Kingdom gave the Brexit proposal much thought. Not so anymore. Since the decision was made to leave the European Union, the pound has weakened considerably against the dollar and most people in England have experienced a sharp drop in the value of their homes. While the immediate short-term effect of Brexit has been to shock the world of politics, it has also brought an interesting dynamic to the table. Many were surprised to see how fast support for Brexit mounted following the decision and now that it’s been a few months since the referendum, there is a wide range of opinion about whether or not Brexit was the right decision. Interestingly, many people seem to think that either Brexit or Trump may actually be a good thing for the United Kingdom. So much uncertainty!
Who Will Be The 2020 Democratic Presidential Nominee?
Since the start of this year, the Democratic Party has been in a bit of a state of flux. Following a disappointing showing in the 2018 midterms, many in the party are looking for ways to reset and are therefore open to new ideas and proposals.
With so much uncertainty surrounding the 2020 presidential election, it’s no wonder that sports books and betting sites have tried to make sense of what is happening politically. Noting the effect that Donald Trump has had on the 2020 election, these books and betting sites have adjusted their odds to make the race more interesting. As of this writing, the early favorite is Joe Biden. However, Bernie Sanders is also popular among Democratic voters and he could end up being the nominee. On the other side of the aisle, Donald Trump seems likely to be the 2020 Republican nominee, however, the field is wide open at this point. No one knows for sure what will happen in the 2020 election but at least the odds are now in favor of something interesting.