Odds, tour stops point to Harris choosing Shapiro

(The Center Square) – Eleven days after President Joe Biden’s awkward exit, and just under three weeks prior to the party’s national convention, oddsmakers agree Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro will be the running mate with Kamala Harris for Democrats.

The vice president, in Houston on Thursday for the funeral of Texas U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, has yet to announce who would join her if as expected she is the party’s presidential nominee. Shapiro, 51, was elected in 2022 to a four-year term.

Published reports say Harris and her newly named running mate launch a battleground state tour on Tuesday in Philadelphia. The seven consensus battleground states – Pennsylvania (19), North Carolina (16), Georgia (16), Michigan (15), Arizona (11), Wisconsin (10) and Nevada (six) – have 93 electoral college votes among them.

At BetOnline and Bovada, the odds for Shaprio have gone to minus-275 and minus-250, respectively. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear is plus-550 and plus-700, respectively to be just ahead of Arizona U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly (plus-600, plus-800) and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (plus-900, plus-1000).

When the odds are a minus, this is the amount needed to wager to make $100. Wagering $100 on a plus bet nets the amount shown; for example, $100 on a plus-500 wins $500. The latter is a longer shot.

At OddShecker, Shapiro has gone to minus-167 with Beshear plus-640, Walz plus-900 and Kelly plus-950.

Three other books – Polymarket, PredictIT and $markets – each have received money from bettors that favors Shapiro overwhelmingly. Kelly, Beshear and Walz are in varying orders, and close, at all three.

Harris made campaign appearances in Houston on Wednesday and was expected to give a eulogy for Lee at the funeral.

Biden withdrew on July 21 and Harris that Sunday evening said she would be a candidate. No others emerged and Democrats are expected to conduct a virtual roll call vote to make her the nominee within the next week.

The Democratic National Convention is in Chicago on Aug. 19-22.