Odds to Be Bernie Sanders' Vice Presidential Running Mate

Bernie Sanders has established himself as the front-runner to be the Democratic nominee in the 2020 United States presidential election, and odds are out on who will be the running mate of the Vermont senator.

Sanders, who’s the EVEN-money favorite to lead the Democrats against Donald Trump, is riding a wave of momentum right now. That’s partly due to his own success and partly due to the mishaps of his competition, especially ex-New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg.

On January 2, Sanders’ chances to win the Democratic nomination sat at +350, with Bloomberg’s at +450. Bloomberg’s odds have since shifted all the way to +1200, behind Sanders and Joe Biden (+325).

Turner is the Early Favorite

So, who will the 78-year-old choose to run beside him if he does, in fact, win the Democratic presidential nomination? According to Sportsbook, Nina Turner is the +185 fave, with Stacey Abrams (+265), Tammy Baldwin (+400), Kamala Harris (+550), Tulsi Gabbard (+600) and Julian Castro (+1100) also in contention.

In a February 2019 interview on the Young Turks Network, Sanders laid out the following criteria for his vice-presidential shortlist: for the potential VP to be a woman, younger than him and someone who’s progressive.

“Maybe not of the same gender that I am, and maybe somebody who might be a couple years younger than me, and somebody who can take the progressive banner as vice-president and carry it all over this country to help us with our agenda,” Sanders said.

Turner is the favorite for a reason. She’s Sanders’ presidential campaign co-chair and was a surrogate in Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign. Turner has been especially vocal about Sanders’ promise of universal health care and has been his biggest supporter in his 2020 bid. If Sanders chose Turner to be his running mate, it wouldn’t surprise anyone.

Abrams is a Worthy Running Mate

Senator Stacey Abrams would certainly make for an interesting running mate for Sanders in 2020. Abrams, who served in the Georgia House of Representatives from 2006 to 2017, would help the Dems to flip a key swing state that they lost to Trump in 2016. Abrams is undoubtedly progressive – she’s a member of the Congressional Progressive Congress and has one of the most liberal voting records on Capitol Hill.

Super Tuesday is going to be especially telling in regard to what we can expect to see unfold in the coming months. Trump is the odds-on -160 favorite in presidential odds, but Bernie isn’t far behind at +350. For a full betting breakdown of Super Tuesday, Scott Hastings has you covered.