Late yesterday, US Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) formally withdrew from the Joe Biden Vice Presidential lottery, taking the opportunity to support a black female VP selection.
This, of course, was a foregone conclusion, as most of the front-running “women of no color” have long since fallen down the betting boards.
At one time, Klobuchar was trending a close second to California Senator Kamala Harris on the 2020 VP odds boards, and MI governor Gretchen Whitmer was also grouped in the top third.
While Whitmer – who is the subject of a possible recall election in Michigan – is largely tone-deaf and has tremendous baggage, Klobuchar has very little.
And, except for her skin tone, the Minnesota politician would likely have provided the largest boost to the Biden campaign in the Midwest, where she remains relatively popular despite the early #AmyKlobucharResign campaign that flourished for a few days on Twitter following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
On the other hand, stuff like this is probably why bettors have given up on Whitmer, or as Trump calls her, “that woman from Michigan”:
For her part, Klobuchar merely saw the writing on the wall, which we pointed out several times in the past for bettors looking to cash in on the valuable odds attached to the potential Biden picks at the top Vegas election betting sites.
In a Thursday interview with MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell, Klobuchar proffered her reasoning thus:
“This is a historic moment, and America must seize on this moment. And I truly believe as, I actually told [Joe Biden] last night when I called him, that I think this is a moment to put a woman of color on that ticket. And there are so many incredibly qualified women, but if you want to heal this nation right now, my party…this is sure a hell of a way to do it.”
Of course, anyone with a functioning brainstem already knew Pandering Joe was going to pick a black female running mate, most especially the millions of bettors that wager on elections at offshore sportsbooks.
Right now, the Vegas VP odds at the three biggest online books for US political betting look like this (women of color in bold):
2020 Democratic Vice-Presidential Nominee
Via Bovada
- Kamala Harris EVEN
- Val Demings +450
- Susan Rice +550
- Elizabeth Warren +1200
- Keisha Lance Bottoms +1800
- Michelle Obama +2500
- Stacey Abrams +2500
- Tammy Duckworth +2500
- Michelle Lujan Grisham +2800
- Gretchen Whitmer +5000
- Andrew Cuomo +10000
- Catherine Cortez Masto +10000
- Hillary Clinton +10000
- Tammy Baldwin +10000
- Tulsi Gabbard +10000
Vice President on the 2020 Democratic Election Ticket
Via BetOnline
- Kamala Harris +125
- Susan Rice +200
- Val Demings +500
- Keisha Lance Bottoms +900
- Elizabeth Warren +1200
- Michelle Lujan Grisham +2000
- Stacey Abrams +2000
- Amy Klobuchar +2500
- Michelle Obama +2500
- Tammy Duckworth +3300
- Hillary Clinton +5000
- Tammy Baldwin +5000
- Barack Obama +6600*
- Cory Booker +10000**
- Tulsi Gabbard +10000
*L
**OL
2020 Democratic Vice-Presidential Nominee
Via MyBookie
- Kamala Harris +100
- Susan Rice +400
- Val Demings +450
- Elizabeth Warren +1000
- Keisha Lance Bottoms +1400
- Michelle Obama +2000
- Tammy Duckworth +2000
- Stacey Abrams +2500
- Michelle Lujan Grisham +2500
- Amy Klobuchar +3500
- Gretchen Whitmer +5000
- Hillary Clinton +9000
- Tammy Baldwin +10000
- Catherine Cortez Masto +10000
- Andrew Cuomo +10000
- Tulsi Gabbard +10000
Our pick is still Val Demings, even though bettors consistently seem to favor Kamala Harris.
Harris has many more skeletons in her law enforcement past, particularly due to her reputation for jailing tens of thousands of black Americans for non-violent drug offenses and then laughing about it on live TV, which would seem to make her a poor choice in the current anti-police environment that the Democratic Party is embracing.
Plus, Harris only delivers Biden California, a state which – as everyone already knows – is a foregone conclusion for the presumptive nominee in November.
Demings, on the other hand, also had a career in law enforcement as the Chief of the Orlando Police Department, but due to her lower profile, there are fewer blemishes on her past record.
As Demings is now a popular congresswoman in FL, which Trump won by about 1.5% of the vote in 2016, her potential to affect the general election is much larger than any other candidate’s.
If Demings could deliver the Sunshine State to Democrats in 2020, that would almost singlehandedly seal the deal for Biden winning the White House in November.
Stacey Abrams has in recent days publicly solicited Uncle Joe for his VP nomination, but Trump’s support in GA means that she likely could not deliver the state to the Dems, as is the case with Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms.
Neither politician is particularly popular outside of Georgia, and while both have massive payouts at every book, we’d advise passing on them this time around.
Whichever woman of color you think Biden will pick, you should get your bets in soon, as the campaign has already announced that it’s narrowed the field down to four or so candidates, without naming them.
So if you think you know the name, place your wagers now, because at the end of the day, money’s the real name of the game.