Republican VP Betting Odds: Betting Swings To Doug Burgum Over Tim Scott

Betting sites have flipped their odds on the Republican vice presidential nominee and believe Doug Burgum is the new frontrunner to join Donald Trump on the GOP ticket this year.

Mr Trump is the only remaining candidate in the race to represent the Republican Party this autumn, having secured enough votes to force his rivals to back down.

He is yet to be confirmed as the GOP’s pick for president but it’s only a matter of time until he is officially locked in. Only a remarkable turn of events in court could deny him that honour now.

Attention has therefore turned to who will back Mr Trump over the coming months as the campaign trail gets more and more frantic each week that passes.

Whereas analysts initially believed Mr Trump would look to appoint a woman as his VP, the bookies have men covering the top three spots in their markets.

There appears no room for Mr Trump’s rival Ron DeSantis, while Nikki Haley is almost a distant memory now.

Republican VP Betting Odds

Political betting sites have run Trump VP odds for months and a string of names have risen to the top before falling away. 

The likes of Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Vivek Ramaswamy, Kristi Noem and even Ivanka Trump have attracted bettors over the past year.

However, it now looks like Mr Trump will go with a less news-hungry figure. Below are the top candidates for the post:

Doug Burgum

A new name in the betting markets, Doug Burgum wasn’t even on the radar until two months ago. The North Dakota governor is a self-made multi-millionaire and has deep pockets. He has naturally caught Mr Trump’s eye.

He is “one of the less-Trumpy Republicans” who has influence on the party and yet is still endorsing the former president. That means he could attract undecided voters who need convincing to back Mr Trump.

Interestingly, analysts believe Mr Burgum could suffer because he comes from a state with just three electoral college votes. Were he from a swing state then his presence on the GOP ticket would be priceless.

And yet he is the new 4/1 favourite to win the race. Having rich friends, as the Wall Street Journal reports, is useful too.

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Tim Scott

Sen. Scott suspended his presidential campaign in November and has since championed Mr Trump for the Oval Office. 

According to NBC News he is “working to make himself the face of the Black conservative movement”.

This could be significant. As the Republicans seek to capture more of the Black vote, they need a figurehead who can work alongside Mr Trump to make it happen. At 9/2, the bookies clearly reckon Sen. Scott has a chance here.

If Mr Trump is serious about keeping a Republican in the White House past his second term then Sen. Scott could be his man. He’d be a sure pick to run for president in 2028 with four years of VP experience under his belt.

J.D.Vance

Most politicians in the running to be Mr Trump’s VP pick are dodging questions about the race. Not so J.D.Vance. 

The Ohio Senator recently told Fox News: “If [Trump] asks me, of course I would think seriously about it. It would be a great honour. I also am happy to support the agenda in the United States Senate.”

Sen. Vance earned Mr Trump’s endorsement in the 2022 midterms that catapulted him into the Senate.

He is also reportedly close to Donald Trump Jr. and has publicly “slammed” the hush money trial that currently has the ex-president tied up in court. 

He’s doing all the right things to attract Mr Trump and is 6/1 with Betfred to be his VP.

Marco Rubio

Trying to court Donald Trump means you have to follow his lead in many ways. Marco Rubio is doing the hard yards by refusing to say he will accept the 2024 US election result. 

The subtext here is that he’s ready to join Mr Trump in fighting the baseless allegations that the previous election was somehow “stolen” from the GOP candidate.

This could work in Mr Rubio’s favour if the Trump team needs greater bedrock support. However, if we assume his MAGA support base isn’t going to grow much more, then Mr Trump needs a more centrist appeal. Otherwise Joe Biden will hold the centre ground heading into the election.

Florida Senator Rubio doesn’t give him that flexibility. No wonder he is priced out at 8/1.

Tulsi Gabbard

A new contender in the race, Tulsi Gabbard was once a card-carrying Democrat. Now the Hawaiian isn’t just supporting the Republicans but has become a big name following her CPAC appearance.

Ms Gabbard is the sort of quick, confident politician that Mr Trump needs by his side. 

She must be ready to match his rhetoric while also offering a carrot to undecided voters who don’t like the MAGA branch of the GOP.

She is also the first American Samoan Congresswoman and the first practicing Hindu member of Congress. 

She ticks a lot of boxes with voters and betting apps have her in at 10/1 to win the VP nomination.

Elise Stefanik

Steve Bannon reckons Elise Stefanik is “top of the list” for ex-president Trump. She has loyally campaigned for him all year and is slowly making a name for herself.

The New York politician was mooted as a possible VP pick back in January, after her questioning of three university presidents about antisemitism on campus went viral.

Trump’s allies certainly think she has a spark. Mr Trump himself called her a “killer” recently.

But two New Yorkers on the same bill might not delight voters out in key swing states. At 14/1 she is worth monitoring.

Ben Carson

Former US Housing Secretary Ben Carson is doing what few other VP hopefuls are doing and keeping out of the limelight right now. He’s refusing to get dragged into the drama around Mr Trump’s hush money trial.

This could work in his favour if voters look kindly on the 72-year-old and consider him a worthy counterweight to the Trump tornado in the Oval Office.

However, he may need to start publicly showing his love for the party leader in order to secure his name on the ticket. At 16/1 the bookies consider him an outside shot.

Nikki Haley

At 30/1 many might feel Nikki Haley is priced too high to still be a viable contender here. 

However, her withdrawal speech after Super Tuesday called on Mr Trump to “earn” her support. She polled as high as 40% in some states during the primaries.