Is the Ron DeSantis campaign reboot working? By one metric, he has increased momentum.
Per the Election Betting Odds website, DeSantis’ odds of winning the 2024 Presidential Election now exceed those of California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
That wasn’t the case back in late July, when Newsom was seen as a better bet to be elected President than the Florida Governor, even though he’s not even a candidate for the office currently.
As of Wednesday morning, DeSantis has a 5.1% chance of being elected President, according to the site that aggregates markets including Betfair, Smarkets, PredictIt and Polymarket.
Newsom’s odds, meanwhile, have slumped to 4.5%.
Despite the fact that Newsom has said he’s not running for President, DeSantis has continued to goad the Golden State leader — even as he’s thus far ducked a challenge issued by Newsom to debate him on Fox News.
“What I would tell him is — you know what, stop pussyfooting around,” DeSantis said in June. “Are you going to throw your hat into the ring and challenge Joe Biden?”
DeSantis has baited California in his culture war offensive, recently using Florida taxpayer dollars to fly undocumented immigrants from Texas to Sacramento.
DeSantis has fought for more than a year with Gov. Newsom, a bicoastal battle between two Governors who have not faced significant tests in their own states of late. By POLITICO’s reckoning, Newsom and DeSantis are “sworn enemies that need each other.”
Despite having eclipsed Newsom, three other candidates are seen as better bets to win the presidency than DeSantis. President Biden is still the favorite, with a 35.2% chance of victory. Former President Donald Trump is in second place, at 29.2%. Democratic insurgent Robert Kennedy Jr. is given a 6.5% chance of winning it all.
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