The 2020 US election campaign is in full swing despite the coronavirus pandemic which has swept the globe, but who will be in the White House when the nation goes to the polls on November 3?
Both the Republicans and Democrats have yet to settle on their candidates, but it appears increasingly likely that Donald Trump will seek re-election against Joe Biden, the man that was at the centre of the current president’s impeachment trial.
It promises to be a classic high-noon duel between two heavyweight gunslingers with plenty of dirty tricks thrown in for good measure and the US president odds suggest it could be a close contest.
The Republicans are 17/20 to return to power, with the Democrats just behind at 19/20, so who is in the driving seat in the race for the presidency?
Donald Trump
Trump set the wheels in motion for another four years in the White House on the day of his inauguration in January 2017 and is almost certain to spearhead the Republican campaign in the coming months.
Mike Pence is listed as Trump’s nearest rival at 12/1 to be the Republican candidate, but the president confirmed as early as November 2018 that his close ally would be his running mate for the 2020 US election.
Former US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley is priced at 20/1 in the US election odds although she is more likely to launch a bid in 2024, while Mitt Romney (66/1), who voted against Trump during his impeachment trial, is virtually out of the picture.
With South Carolina and Nevada joining Kansas in confirming they will not hold caucuses this year in a show of support for Trump’s candidacy, the path looks clear for another bid for the White House.
Trump surprised most political pundits by winning the presidency in a bloody battle with Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton, who had held a significant lead in national polls in the build-up to the 2016 US election.
President @realDonaldTrump leads a #COVID19 Teleconference call with 50 Governors, plus Territories, earlier today in The Situation Room. pic.twitter.com/xqjHvsb7ha
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 27, 2020
However, his ‘Make America Great Again’ slogan appealed to the American heartlands as did his focus on bringing jobs back to blue collar workers with the help of protectionist policies and steep tariffs on foreign goods.
Trump’s slogans for 2020 are ‘Keep America Great’ and “Promises Made, Promises Kept’, but the likelihood of another successful campaign may hinge on how he handles the escalating coronavirus crisis in the USA.
Putting the economy ahead of people’s lives could prove damaging to his chances of success, although as things stand he is a slight favourite for another spell as president in the US election odds.
Joe Biden
Only Bernie Sanders stands in the way of Biden taking a third stab at the US presidency as a Democrat candidate, but the likelihood is that the former Delaware senator will be the man to challenge Trump as the presumptive nominee.
Biden served as US vice-president in Barack Obama’s administration for two terms but his current campaign got off to an inauspicious start when he failed to feature as one of the top three candidates in the Iowa caucus or the New Hampshire primary.
However, his victory in the South Carolina primary brought new life to his prospects, confirmed by his results on Super Tuesday when Biden took 10 of the 15 states which he followed with wins in Idaho, Michigan, Mississippi and Missouri.
President Trump is not responsible for the coronavirus, but he bears full responsibility for the slow and uncoordinated response. The harsh reality is that at least 3 million people now don’t have jobs because he didn’t do his job when it mattered. https://t.co/xlLlQCHn3c
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) March 27, 2020
Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar and Michael Bloomberg dropped out of the race in March and immediately endorsed Biden as the man to lead the Democrats, so momentum is clearly on his side.
Widely viewed as a moderate, Biden is strong on the environment, opposing Trump’s decision to walk away from the Paris Agreement, and his views on raising the minimum wage will appeal to blue-collar voters, but his debating skills sometimes lack clarity.
At odds against to win the US presidential race, Biden could be a value bet if the coronavirus pandemic derails Trump’s chance of re-election, but he will need to win over Sanders’ supporters to stand a chance.
Democrat vice-president odds
Biden may have sewn up the Democrat nomination but who will be his running mate is up in the air, with Kamala Harris priced as the 6/4 favourite.
The 55-year-old lawyer became California’s third female US senator in 2016 and ran in this year’s presidential before pulling out in December.
Harris will also go down well with African-American voters who showed up for Biden on Super Tuesday.
American lives are on the line and Trump just doesn’t get it. pic.twitter.com/tNoAZgnno9
— Kamala Harris (@SenKamalaHarris) March 26, 2020
Klobuchar did her chances of becoming the vice-president no harm at all when she endorsed Biden after withdrawing from the Democratic race.
The Minnesota senator, 15/4 in the VP odds, proved to be a capable debater during the campaign and she has previously won in the Midwest, an area which could swing the election.
Stacey Abrams also figures strongly in the Democrat VP odds and says she would be “honoured to run as vice-president with the nominee” despite expressing reservations earlier.
The high-profile lawyer and former Georgia House Dem0cratic leader almost became the first black governor in the US in 2018.
Choose to fight only righteous fights, because then when things get tough–and they will–you will know that there is only one option ahead of you: Nevertheless, you must persist. pic.twitter.com/GA4vl9tuRl
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) March 7, 2020
Eloquent and sharp, Abrams looks an interesting candidate at 4/1 as does Elizabeth Warren at 10/1.
The Massachusetts senator ended her nominee campaign on Super Tuesday when she picked up the support of 40 delegates and lost her home state.
The former law school professor has yet to endorse Biden, though, which may count against her, but she would at least prove popular with the liberal wing of the Democrat party.
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