Presidential Debate Betting For The 2020 Election

With the growing momentum of political wagering, it is only natural that betting odds and lines have become popular for each big event during the election cycle, including Presidential debates. There are almost always odds and prop bets available for the Democratic Presidential debates, the Republican Presidential debates, and the official 2020 Presidential debates.

We cover any and all odds and betting lines that emerge for these debates. And let’s be honest, to get through the heaviness of any political season, prop bets (and SNL skits!) are a lifesaver.

Keep in mind that the Vegas odds on Presidential debates will come and go as the schedule progresses, so there may not be odds or lines published here each time that you visit.  When no odds or betting lines are available just yet on a Trump vs. Biden debate, you will see a TBA placeholder.  This means you should check back closer to the next debate when the oddsmakers are more likely to give us some fresh information.

2020 PRES. DEBATE UPDATE: The first 2020 Presidential debate appears to be ready for primetime and is scheduled for Tuesday, September 29, 2020, at 9:00 PM EST. The host is Fox News’ Chris Wallace, and the event will be held live on-stage in Cleveland, Ohio. If you want to get your debate bets in, Monday September 28 is likely your last chance, as the odds – which you can see below – close at MyBookie at 5:00 PM EST. 

Presidential Debate Betting Odds

Presidential Debate Prop Bets

Most of the betting lines for Presidential debates come in the form of political prop bets.  Also called proposition bets, these types of odds and betting lines will cover everything from what candidates will wear to specific phrases they will say.  You’ll see lines for how long they will get to talk, what they will talk about, and certain behaviors they may exhibit.

While prop bets are more closely associated with sports events such as the Super Bowl, they have become more mainstream in the political betting arena as well.

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Trump Biden Debate Schedule

Now that the party debates are over, voters and candidates have been focusing on the Presidential debates. Before this November’s election, President Trump and Joe Biden will face on in at least three debates, although the final details have not been decided for the last two of these due to COVID-19 concerns and other uncertainties.

Because he is behind in the polls and the betting boards, Trump is pushing for more than three debates, but Biden isn’t giving any ground on that front. Trump also wants the debates to be held in-person, while Biden’s campaign is insisting that they are held in a remote, virtual format. There are also rumors that Biden may try to back out of the debates altogether. However, for the first debate, slated for Sept. 29, it seems that the two candidates will go mano y mano live on the same stage.

For now, the standard three debate schedule is on the docket, and although many factors are still undecided, the schedule for Trump vs. Biden debate dates are as follows:

2020 Presidential Debates Schedule

• September 29, 2020 – Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, Ohio
• October 15, 2020 – Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts Miami, Florida
• October 22, 2020 – Belmont University Nashville, Tennessee

Next Presidential Debate Details 2020

When Is The Next Presidential Debate For 2020?

The next Presidential debate is scheduled for September 29, 2020, and will feature Joe Biden in a faceoff against President Donald Trump. Because of COVID-19, there will not be a live audience in attendance to witness the proceedings. There is also the potential for the debate to be canceled at the last minute, or to be held remotely via videocast. There has been a push for Libertarian candidate Jo Jorgensen to be included in the debates, but she has not been included as of yet and is out of the mix for the first debate entirely.

Where Will The Next Debate Be Held?

The next Presidential debate is scheduled for September 29 at the Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Presidential debate betting odds have already appeared at top-rated sportsbooks like MyBookie.

How Do Candidates Qualify For The Next Debate?

Democrat and Republican candidates that receive the nomination of their respective parties will earn an automatic invite to the debate stage. At this point, regardless of when the debates happen, only two candidates – Joe Biden and Donald Trump – are likely to qualify. There is a chance that an independent candidate like Kanye West (Birthday Party) or Jo Jorgensen (Libertarian Party) can sneak onto the stage and make an impact, but they are not scheduled to appear at the moment, and they will most certainly not appear at the first Presidential debate.

Which Presidential Candidates Have Qualified For The Next Debate?

Joe Biden and Donald Trump are the only candidates that are scheduled to appear at the three upcoming Presidential debates.

Who Will Be The Moderators For The Next Presidential Debates?

• The first Presidential debate in Cleveland will be moderated by Fox News host Chris Wallace on September 29th.
• C-SPAN’s Steve Scully will moderate the second debate in Miami on October 15th.
• NBC News’ Kristen Welker is scheduled to serve as moderator for the third and final debate in Nashville, TN on October 22nd.

Where Can I Watch The Next Presidential Debate?

The debates are scheduled to occur on September 29 (9:00 PM EST), October 15, and October 22. Exact times for the latter two events have yet to be announced, but they usually begin around primetime and air on most major broadcast and cable news networks.

Is There A Vice President Debate?

Yes, Mike Pence and Kamala Harris will debate on October 7th in Salt Lake City, Utah. The event will be moderated by USA Today journalist Susan Page.

Will Biden Debate Trump?

There have been several reports suggesting that Biden has nothing to gain by debating Trump. It is possible that Biden could roll the dice and withdraw from the debates at the last second, relying on his current standing and campaign advertising until November.

With the schedule and conditions for the second and third debates still only tentatively decided, it would be easy for Biden to cite COVID-19 concerns and pull out of the events. Many opponents have cited Biden’s lack of mental awareness and odd behavior as of late. If indeed Biden is suffering from some sort of cognitive condition, then pulling out of the debates is definitely something his team would consider.

There is no requirement that either candidate must participate in the debates, so there is a chance that Biden won’t debate Trump and that the proceedings will be canceled. Whether the debates will occur or not, and whether Biden or Trump will withdraw from the debates, are prime examples of political prop bets that can be inspired by these Presidential verbal engagements.

Will There Be Presidential Debates In 2020?

Yes. There are three Presidential debates on the schedule for 2020, with Joe Biden and Donald Trump expected to appear. As mentioned in the previous section, there are a number of reasons that Biden could pull out of the debates. Trump is eager to hold the debates to make up for lagging odds and poll ratings, and he wants them to be in-person. Biden is in favor of debating via a video feed for the sake of the coronavirus (or the “technical difficulties” safety net). The first Presidential debate that Trump and Biden have on the docket is almost in the bag, but the others still have a lot of wrinkles to iron out before both parties can be trusted to show up.

Is A Sitting President Required To Debate?

No. There is nothing in the Constitution that requires a sitting President, or anyone else, to participate in a Presidential debate. Refraining from entering into a debate is generally seen as bad form in a political arena. A politician should always be eager to share their campaign message and exhibit confidence in their abilities and agendas. To pull out of a debate would be a sign of weakness to voters and could cost a candidate the election.

How Does Someone Win A Presidential Debate?

There is no clear-cut result to debates. Instead, the person who wins a Presidential debate is all about public perception. Sometimes Democratic Presidential debate winners can be “chosen” by the candidates themselves, news commentators, the media, and news outlets which discuss the results of the debate. What individuals or outlets choose to discuss and frame can shape public opinion, and the opinion of voters, which ultimately decides who was the debate winner.

In today’s modern age, many people rely on polls to tell them the winner(s) of events like the Democratic Presidential debates. This is because polls keep track and report what a sample of people believe and think. Usually, whenever a debate concludes, polling companies contact registered voters and ask them what they thought of the debates, which is generally influenced by what others have told them. Through this, polls can be released within hours as voters express their thoughts through snap polls online which provide immediate reporting results. Another way to gauge a Presidential debate winner, of course, is to check out how their betting odds move after the debate in question concludes.

About Presidential Debates

Formally known as the leaders’ debate, a Presidential debate is typically a public debate held during general elections. In a Presidential debate, party candidates express their running policies along with political opinions while opposing candidates attempt to poke holes in or criticize these policies. Presidential debates are usually broadcast live via TV, radio, and online streaming services.

Presidential debates are not required by the US Constitution but are considered popular with voters. These debates often give voters a better understanding of the candidates, their positions, trustworthiness, and competence, and they can help undecided voters align themselves with a specific candidate rather than to a specific party or position.

How Are Presidential Debates Formatted?

Debates can vary in format, but typically opening statements are made by each candidate with a panel of moderators or journalists asking a set of questions. Candidates will typically have a chance to answer these questions either one after another or, if the question is aimed at one specific candidate, then he or she will answer the inquiry. Following each candidate’s answer, the other candidates may have a chance to respond briefly to each candidate’s statement.

Following this, the debate may lead to a free-for-all which the moderators will attempt to control through an allotted time slot and follow-up questions. The conclusion of the debate will be signaled by a final question along with each candidate’s closing remarks.

Debate variations also exist. Some debates allow audience members to ask questions, sometimes a coin toss determines candidate speaking order, and sometimes candidates will stand at podiums while other times they’ll be seated at tables. You can even expect a few jokes and lighthearted non-sequiturs to be presented from time to time.

Modern debates have used a kind of “traffic light” to signal when a candidate’s speaking time is nearing the end. Buzzers or flags have also been used in the past to regulate the time frame of a candidate’s answer.

How Do Candidates Qualify for A Debate?

Typically to qualify for a Presidential debate, candidates must receive their party’s nomination pick. However, 2020’s election saw a large pool of Democratic candidates running, and thus several Democratic debates were held to pinpoint top-tier candidates for the party’s nomination.

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) set the 2020 debate criteria for candidates to qualify for the primary debates.  The required criteria included receiving a certain number of individual donor contributions and meeting certain state and national polling thresholds. In February, the DNC dropped the donor requirement, presumably to make way for Mini Mike Bloomberg, the billionaire who tried self-funding his campaign before flaming out just a month after wasting over $600 million on the effort.

Recap From The Last Democratic Debate

The 11th and final Democratic debate was supposed to be held in Phoenix, AZ, at the Arizona Federal Theatre. However, due to the coronavirus, the venue was changed to CNN’s Washington DC studio, and there was no live audience. Additionally, Jorge Ramos, one of the scheduled moderators, was in self-quarantine after coming into contact with a coronavirus patient.

Nevertheless, the debate went ahead as otherwise scheduled, and even though Bernie Sanders agreed to Joe Biden’s request that the candidates be seated on stage, both men stood for the duration of the event. The debate was hosted by CNN, Univision, and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

Talking time broke down almost identically for both candidates, who did plenty of speaking on the coronavirus and other stump issues. Those issues were discussed as follows:

• Coronavirus – 17:45
• Climate change – 11:51
• Economy – 11:01
• Immigration – 8:28
• Healthcare – 8:08
• Foreign policy – 7:59
• President Trump – 4:08
• Women’s rights – 3:47
• China – 2:18
• Elections – 1:55
• College costs – 1:53
• Income inequality – 1:23
• Social Security – 0:58
• Gun control – 0:56
• Black voters – 0:31
• Latino voters – 0:29
• LGBTQ rights – 0:13
• Trade – 0:00
• National security – 0:00
• Politics – 0:00
• Socialism – 0:00

Most of the debate was finger-pointing at Trump over his alleged “mishandling” of the US coronavirus response, with fact-checkers dinging Biden for lying that Trump refused COVID-19 tests from the World Health Organization.

However, neither candidate offered any idea of how they would have approached the US response to the disease any differently than the current administration. Still, coronavirus is Trump’s current Achilles heel, and Biden and Sanders were not shy about piling on.

Note: A 12th Democratic debate was originally planned, but due to Joe Biden receiving more than the number of necessary delegates before that event – and because of COVID-19 restrictions and concerns – the debate was canceled.

Republican Presidential Debates

There were really only two Republican candidates running for the nomination in 2020: incumbent President Donald Trump and former Governor of Massachusetts Bill Weld. Mark Sanford and Joe Walsh ran campaigns earlier in the cycle, but both dropped out early on in the proceedings.

Some have speculated that this served as a warning to Republican contenders and would-be challengers to prevent the President’s polls from sinking. Co-Chair of the RNC’s subcommittee governing the Primary Process, John Hammond, said that “times are different from a lot of perspectives [from when the committee adopted its debate rules. Which will be less relevant] as we continue to support the President and the vice president and the current administration.”

Several Republicans expressed their desire to take Trump on in a debate, such as Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona and Ohio Governor John Kasich. However, it is not unusual for the incumbent’s party to avoid primary debates in preparation for the re-election campaign, and there were no Republican primary debates in 2020.

Debate Trivia – Did You Know?