Vice President Kamala Harris saw betting odds flip in her favor following her debate against former President Donald Trump.
Harris and Trump faced off in their first, and potentially only, debate in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Tuesday night, giving them the opportunity to win over moderate and undecided voters as polls suggest the race is a toss-up in key battleground states. They debated issues ranging from the economy to foreign policy to abortion, making their pitch to voters less than two months before election day.
Betting odds shifted toward Harris after the debate, which at times saw the two candidates exchange barbs, concluded, according to two bookmakers.
BetOnline saw their odds, previously favoring Trump, flip to Harris after the debate.
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As of 11 p.m. on Tuesday, BetOnline gave Harris a slight lead of -120, with Trump just behind her at +110. This marks a reversal since 9 a.m. on Tuesday when the bookmaker had Trump a slight lead of -120, while Harris had odds of +100.
Just minutes before the debate, 50.9 percent of bets were on Harris. By 11 p.m., however, 54.4 percent of bets were being placed on Harris to win the election in November.
“It certainly felt like Kamala Harris was in control of tonight’s debate, and the betting public has reacted in unison,” said Josh Barton, a spokesperson for BetOnline, in a statement provided to Newsweek.
Newsweek reached out to the Harris and Trump campaigns for comment via email outside of typical business hours.
Meanwhile, another bookmaker Polymarket showed their odds shift toward Harris, as well. After the debate, they gave both Harris and Trump a 49 percent chance of winning the election.
At 8 p.m., an hour before the debate began, they showed Trump having a 52 percent chance of winning, with Harris having a 46 percent chance.
While bookmakers appeared to view Harris as the winner of the debate, it remains clear to what extent this may help Harris in the polls, which suggested the Electoral College was in play for both candidates heading into the debate.
Harris campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon wrote in a statement shortly after the debate concluded that Harris is ready for a second debate against Trump in October.
“Under the bright lights, the American people got to see the choice they will face this fall at the ballot box: between moving forward with Kamala Harris, or going backwards with Trump,” Harris-Walz campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon said. “That’s what they saw tonight and what they should see at a second debate in October. Vice President Harris is ready for a second debate. Is Donald Trump?”
Trump, however, said Harris only wants a second debate “because she lost.”
“If you won the debate, I sort of think maybe I shouldn’t do it. Why should I do another debate? She immediately said we want another. You know what happens? When you’re a prizefighter and you lose, you immediately want a new fight,” he said on Fox News, adding he would be open to the idea if it is on a “fair network.”
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