A growing number of bettors are predicting that Joe Biden will drop out of the presidential race. On Thursday evening, a record 92 percent of users on betting markets believed his campaign would soon be over.
Recently reported by Resist Times a new activist group called “Pass the torch Joe” were protesting in front of the White House encouraging Biden to step-down with signs saying “Pass the Torch” and with chants of “You did great Joe its time to go.”
While that number decreased on Thursday morning following reports from Biden’s campaign chair that he was “absolutely” staying in the race despite “some slippage in support,” by 10 a.m. PST, 70 percent of users still bet that his campaign would end.
According to Polymarket, the percentage of users betting on Biden’s withdrawal has surged over the past few months. On May 1, only 13 percent of users predicted his exit, which rose to 19 percent the day before the debate against Donald Trump. Following the debate, the number spiked to 70 percent, then fluctuated. After the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, it surged again, reaching a new high.
Polymarket also allows users to bet on who they think will be the Democratic nominee and who will win the presidential election. For the Democratic nominee, Biden is in second place at 32 percent, trailing Kamala Harris by 18 points. For the presidential election, he ranks fourth at just 7 percent, behind Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, and “Other Democrat Politician.”
The Associated Press reports that congressional Democrats are divided on whether Biden should step aside. Some have called for him to withdraw, while others argue that changing candidates so late in the race would be detrimental to the party.
“The ticket that exists right now is the ticket that we can win on,” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said. “There is of course work to be done, and that in fact is the case because we are an evenly divided country.” He emphasized that whether Biden continues running is “[Biden’s] decision to make.”