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Kamala Harris experiences a betting crash in her favor after the Donald Trump debate
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Kamala Harris experiences a betting crash in her favor after the Donald Trump debate

Betting odds for Vice President Kamala Harris soared after her debate against former President Donald Trump.

Harris and Trump squared off in their first and possibly only debate in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday night, giving them a chance to win over moderate and undecided voters as polls suggest the race is neck and neck in key swing states. They debated on issues ranging from the economy to foreign policy to abortion, putting their message in front of voters less than two months before Election Day.

After the end of the debate, which at times saw heated exchanges between the two candidates, the betting odds shifted in favor of Harris, according to two bookmakers.

BetOnline saw the odds that previously favored Trump shift to Harris after the debate.

Betting odds for Kamala Harris after the debate
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during the presidential debate on September 10, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Betting odds shifted to Harris after the debate against former President Donald Trump.

Win McNamee/Getty Images

At 11pm Tuesday, BetOnline gave Harris a narrow lead of -120, with Trump just behind her at +110. This is a reversal from Tuesday at 9am, when the bookmaker gave Trump a narrow 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 had already bet that Harris would win the election in November.

“It certainly felt like Kamala Harris was in control of today’s debate, and the betting public responded unanimously,” Josh Barton, a spokesman for BetOnline, said in a statement to News week.

Newsweek contacted the Harris and Trump campaign teams by email outside of normal business hours for comment.

Bookmaker Polymarket also showed that its odds had shifted in Harris’ favor. 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, Trump’s chances of winning were 52 percent and Harris’s were 46 percent.

While bookmakers appear to be tipping Harris as the debate winner, it remains unclear how this might help Harris in polls that suggested the Electoral College played a role for both candidates before the debate.

Jen O’Malley Dillon, chair of the Harris campaign, wrote in a statement shortly after the debate concluded that Harris was ready for a second debate against Trump in October.

“Under the bright spotlight, Americans have seen the choice they will have to make at the ballot box this fall: either move forward with Kamala Harris or move backward with Trump,” said Jen O’Malley Dillon, the Harris-Walz campaign manager. “That’s what they saw tonight and that’s what they should see at a second debate in October. Vice President Harris is ready for a second debate. Is it Donald Trump?”

Trump, however, said Harris only wanted a second debate “because she lost.”

“If you won the debate, I think maybe I shouldn’t do it. Why should I do another debate? She immediately said we want another one. You know what happens? When you’re a prizefighter and you lose, you immediately want another fight,” he said on Fox News, adding that he would be open to the idea if it were on a “fair network.”

Follow Newsweek’s live blog for the latest coverage of the presidential debate.

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