Donald Trump still the chalk for 2024, but Ron DeSantis’ odds continue to improve

Is Ron DeSantis poised to upstage Donald Trump?

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ odds to win the Republican nod for President in 2024 are increasing. But former President Donald Trump remains the odds-on favorite — for now.

That’s according to BoyleSports, which has DeSantis’ odds of winning the next presidential election at 13/2, or a probability of 13.33%. That still puts him behind Trump, who leads contenders with 3/1 odds, or 25%, and Democratic President Joe Biden, whose odds sit at 5/1, about 16.67%.

That’s a move in the right direction for DeSantis, whose odds have improved from last week’s 10/1, or 9.09%. And it makes him more likely to win the presidential election than any candidate in America who hasn’t already held the office.

“Donald Trump is still leading the race for the Republicans according to the betting, but he isn’t as hot a favorite as he once was,” said Lawrence Lyons, a spokesman for BoyleSports. “Ron DeSantis is the name we keep hearing and he’s the candidate trending in the right direction at this stage, so we’ve had no choice but to cut the odds on him being the Republican name on the ticket.”

Asked just about the GOP nomination in 2024, Trump again has better odds than DeSantis. Betters give the ex-President odds of 11/10, or a probability of 47.62% of winning the nod. But DeSantis’ odds improved to 4/1, or a 20% chance. Behind DeSantis are former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley at 9/1, or 10%, and former Vice President Mike Pence at 12/1, or 7.69%. Haley notably signaled last year that she will not run if Trump does, but neither DeSantis nor Pence has made such a pledge.

Lyons attributed the leap in the gambling set partly to a recent poll showing Trump leading DeSantis among Florida Republicans, but by a modest 47% to the sitting Governor’s 40%.

DeSantis has a lead on every Democrat except Biden in the overall chances to be the next President. Vice President Kamala Harris holds 8/1 odds, or an 11.11% probability of winning the next presidential election. But unless Biden chooses not to run for a second term, she isn’t expected to run. Still, her odds remain higher than any Republican except Trump or DeSantis.