Kamala Harris' Chances of Winning Boosted After Barack Obama Endorsement

A number of leading bookmakers cut the odds on Vice President Kamala Harris winning the 2024 presidential election in November after she was endorsed on Friday by former President Barack Obama.

On Friday, immediately prior to Obama’s endorsement Bet365 and Sky Bet were both offering odds of 6/4 (40 percent) on a Harris win in November, while William Hill was giving odds of 11/8 (42.1 percent) on the Democrat winning. As of 8:30 a.m. ET on Saturday, the Bet365 and Sky Bet odds had both improved to 11/8 (42.1 percent) while the William Hill odds were changed to 5/4 (44.4 percent).

Obama ended days of speculation on Friday by releasing a statement backing Harris, saying he and his wife Michelle would “do everything we can to make sure she wins in November.” President Joe Biden announced he was pulling out of the presidential contest, and endorsing Harris on July 21 following intense concern within the Democratic Party over the 81-year-old’s age and cognitive abilities.

Harris swiftly secured the backing of enough Democratic National Convention delegates to establish herself as the party’s presumptive candidate.

The Obama endorsement was delivered via a post on X in which he said: “Earlier this week, Michelle and I called our friend Kamala Harris. We told her we think she’ll make a fantastic President of the United States, and that she has our full support.

Vice President Kamala Harris speaking to reporters on July 25, 2024 in Washington, DC. Harris’s odds of winning the 2024 presidential election improved with a number of bookmakers after she was endorsed by Barack Obama…

Kenny Holston-Pool/GETTY

“At this critical moment for our country, we’re going to do everything we can to make sure she wins in November. We hope you’ll join us.”

This was accompanied by a 55-second video showing the Obamas speaking on the phone with Harris in which Michelle Obama said: “I can’t have this phone call without saying to my girl Kamala: I am proud of you. This is going to be historic.”

Barack Obama then added: “We called to say Michelle and I couldn’t be prouder to endorse you and to do everything we can to get you through this election and into the Oval Office.”

Newsweek contacted representatives of Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign and Vice President Kamala Harris for comment on Saturday via email outside of regular office hours.

Overall, betting website Polymarket gave Trump a 59 percent chance of winning the 2024 presidential election on Saturday morning, against 40 percent for Harris.

An Emerson College Polling/The Hill survey published this week found Harris was behind Trump in four key swing states and tied in a fifth, but was generally performing better than Biden had been. It showed:

In Arizona, 44 percent supported Harris, while 49 percent backed TrumpIn Georgia, 46 percent backed Harris, while 48 percent supported TrumpIn Michigan, 45 percent backed Harris and 46 percent supported TrumpIn Pennsylvania, 46 percent supported Harris and 48 percent supported TrumpIn Wisconsin both Trump and Harris had 47 percent support

The poll was conducted on July 22 and 23 and had a margin of error of 3.3 percent. Arizona, Georgia and Michigan each had a sample size of 800 while 845 were surveyed in Wisconsin and 850 in Pennsylvania.