Site icon The Capitolist

Prediction markets have Ron DeSantis as huge favorite over Nikki Fried

Jordan Kirkland

Ron DeSantis comfortably sits first in the 2022 Florida gubernatorial election, according to a new market by PredictIt.

The market, which launched on Tuesday, sees DeSantis overwhelmingly dominating the field leading up to the 2022 race for governor. At the time of this article, the Governor sits at a $.78 Yes price. His biggest challenger, Democrat Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, who many speculate has a real chance of dethroning him, remains in second, trading at a paltry $.13 Yes price.

Others on the list include Democratic Congresswoman Val Demings ($.05) and Democratic Congressman and former Florida governor Charlie Crist ($.05).

DeSantis remains a rising star in the Republican Party, thanks in large part to his leadership through the pandemic. While outlets continue to push a false narrative on his approach to lockdowns, cases and vaccine distribution, the Governor continues to prove them wrong on daily basis. Under his direction, Florida ranks 26th in cases per 100,000 and 27th in deaths per 100,000.

Still, some view Fried, the only statewide elected Democrat, as a real threat to DeSantis’s reelection chances. In late March, a poll released showed that Fried and DeSantis essentially deadlocked in a hypothetical 2022 election matchup, with both garnering 45 percent of support.

The only other poll taken this year, conducted in March by Mason-Dixon showed DeSantis with a more comfortable 9-percentage-point lead on Fried.

Fried, who continues to tease a potential bid a governor with her constant lambasting of DeSantis on social media, has yet to declare if she’s running. Insiders, however, believe an official announcement is coming soon.

While DeSantis has been adamant, saying the only race he’s focused on is his 2022 reelection campaign, the beloved governor can’t dismiss his meteoric rise over the past year. DeSantis’s appeal has permeated throughout the country, with the buzz surrounding the popular GOP official reaching a fever pitch as conservatives desperately want to see President Joe Biden defeated in 2024.

DeSantis also has the numbers to back it up. In February, the Governor finished second in the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) straw poll behind former President Donald Trump, and the prediction website also sees him as the best-positioned heir to fill the ‘MAGA’ void left by Trump.

While Trump is still the favorite to represent the GOP in 2024, DeSantis continues to cut into his lead. As it stands in that market, DeSantis is trading at $.22 to Trump’s $.23.

To view the 2022 Florida gubernatorial market, click here.

To view to 2024 Republican presidential nomination market, click here.