Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang is still a long shot in the polls, but at least one bookmaker likes the tech exec’s odds to beat President Trump heads up.
To some extent, Yang has become the Rodney Dangerfield of Democratic hopefuls because he gets little — if any — respect from the media. The Times of San Diego once identified him as Yahoo’s co-founder. MSNBC left him off their candidate graphics at least a dozen times, and referred to him as John Yang. In November’s Democratic debate, the moderators waited more than 30 minutes before asking Yang a question, giving him little chance to improve his odds.
Yang, however, has hung in there. He has a loyal base of young supporters who have dubbed themselves the “Yang Gang.” And while he still hasn’t cracked the top-five candidates likely to win the Democratic primary, Yang has one thing going for him that the other candidates don’t; He’s an outsider. And when it comes to going heads up against President Trump, an outsider may be what’s needed.
Yang Tops Heads-Up Odds to Beat Trump
There is admittedly very little crossover between an Elizabeth Warren supporter and a Trump supporter. It’s hard to imagine that one of those entrenched camps could steal votes from the other. But Yang and Trump appeal to a predominantly male demographic that identify with outsiders. In other words, Yang may have the kind of crossover appeal that could be troublesome for Trump, mano-a-mano. At least that’s what the latest odds imply.
According to BetOnline, Yang is the only Democratic candidate that is a clear heads-up favorite against Trump. The odds suggest Bernie Sanders, the second-best performing Democratic candidate, would essentially tie against Trump.
Heads-Up Odds (BetOnline)
Andrew Yang:   -145
Donald Trump:  +125Bernie Sanders: – 110
Donald Trump:   -110Rest of the Field: +110
Donald Trump:   -130Joe Biden:      +125
Donald Trump:   -145Elizabeth Warren: +150
Donald Trump:   -170
The current heads-up odds are interesting, but it’s difficult to see them as a game changer for Yang. After all, there will be no heads-up battle for Yang unless he can beat the rest of the Democratic field. And so far, there are no oddsmakers giving him a chance to win his party’s nomination.
