Democratic Nomination Odds: Cuomo Bursts Onto The Scene

America is in a true battle with COVID-19 with many people infected and the virus spreading rapidly. At this time, New York accounts for nearly half of the cases and is considered the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States.

In a moment of darkness, there has been a bright spot from Andrew Cuomo. The New York governor has been holding daily press conferences, speaking truths and providing words of hope and strength. Many have criticized President Donald Trump on his handling of the outbreak and have been drawn toward a governor rising to the occasion, providing leadership and compassion.

The way Cuomo has approached these times of struggle has propelled him back into the public’s imagination in the Democratic nomination race. He’d long since disappeared from the oddsboard after opening at +10000 on June 26, 2019, but he now stands second at +1000. Cuomo is trailing only Joe Biden, whose odds have climbed from -1600 just over a week ago to -600 today. That said, the New York governor hasn’t committed to the race at this point.

Meanwhile, Bernie Sanders’ odds have dropped from +2500 to +1200 over the same time frame.

Additionally, Biden has fallen behind Donald Trump on the presidential oddsboard for the election in November. Both had -105 odds a week ago but the president is now the -125 favorite with Biden coming back at +150 and Cuomo sitting third at +1000.

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Check out the updated odds to win the Democratic presidential nomination at Bovada:

Odds as of April 3 at Bovada

Harris Favored To Be VP

It was likely the biggest moment of the head-to-head debate between Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden on Sunday, March 15, when both stated that they would have a female vice-president. California Senator Kamala Harris dropped out of the Democratic presidential nomination race in early December, but is now favored to be the VP running mate. Harris was fourth on the opening oddsboard for the Democratic presidential nomination with odds of +550. The senator cited finances as the main reason for suspending her campaign.

Online sportsbook Bovada has Harris as the favorite at +210 followed by Amy Klobuchar at +300, Gretchen Whitmer at +600, Catherine Cortez Masto at +900 and Stacey Abrams at +1000 to round out the top five names on the oddsboard.

Harris as the VP nominee makes sense as she’s not extremely far left, she’s black, she’s 55, which is younger than many other names on the list, and she’s a college-educated woman who checks a lot of demographic boxes. 

Here’s a look at the full list of odds to be the Democratic vice-presidential nominee:

Odds as of April 3 at Bovada

Michigan Exit Poll: The Youth Vote and by Race

As expected, the former vice-president polled well with African-American voters as he garnered 66 percent of their vote compared to just 28 percent for Sanders. However, Bernie nearly lapped the field when it came to Michigan’s youth vote. Of those 18 to 44 years old, the Vermont senator earned 64 percent of the vote compared to 32 percent in favor of Biden, but when you peel away a layer of the proverbial onion, Sanders earned 77 percent among those 18 to 29 years old. Biden earned 19 percent of the demographic slice. 

If Biden is to unseat President Donald Trump in November, he must find a way to connect with and persuade more young voters that he is the right man for the job despite not being the candidate promoting college debt erasure. “Vote blue no matter who” will be tested by America’s youth and Sanders’ supporters.

Biden Campaign Trail Missteps

At the very top of Biden’s campaign to-do list over the next few months is to avoid viral moments like this:

WATCH: "You’re full of sh*t," @JoeBiden tells a man who accused him of "actively trying to end our Second Amendment right."

"I support the Second Amendment," Biden adds while visiting under-construction auto plant in Detroit. @CBSNews pic.twitter.com/sueOSBaY9P

— Bo Erickson CBS (@BoKnowsNews) March 10, 2020

Whereas President Trump utters cringe-worthy and controversial phrases on what seems like a daily basis, Biden’s in-your-face personal engagements observed here and in the past, like when he challenged an Iowa voter to a push-up contest, are perceived as more intense than Trump’s broad-brush, both-sides-of-his-mouth commentary that is often categorized as misunderstood.

In other words, if Biden wants to match Trump in the tough-guy, tough-talk approach during debates and on the campaign trail, he needs to recalibrate the optics.

What’s Bernie Sanders’ Next Move?

Despite having won just seven of the 26 states that held their primaries in March, Sanders remains in the race, though his odds have risen dramatically. The Vermont senator entered the month as the betting favorite to be the Democratic nominee at -115, just shy of his lowest odds of -130 on February 25. His opening odds of +450 put him second on the oddsboard behind Joe Biden.

Following the results of Super Tuesday and the mini-Super Tuesdays throughout March, Sanders’ odds skyrocketed as high as +2500 on March 18, behind even Hillary Clinton (+1000), who was not even in the race.

Today, Bernie’s odds have stabilized at +1200 and he is third on the list behind Biden and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.

I anticipate that the Vermont senator will ride this out to the convention but it really appears that he’s a lame duck at this point.