Joe Biden has opened up a decisive lead in the key battleground state of Florida, according to bookmakers.
The Democratic presidential hopeful enjoyed a healthy lead in the betting stakes throughout the summer, and professionals now put him as a clear favorite to win the Sunshine State.
President Donald Trump briefly leapfrogged him for two weeks at the end of September, betting website Oddschecker, which compares 28 of the world’s leading bookmakers, said.
However, Biden is once again opening up a lead over the president, with his implied chances of taking Florida rising this week.
An Oddschecker spokesperson said: “Florida—along with Arizona—has been the market that has seen the biggest ebb and flow since March, with both parties spending time as the oddsmakers’ favorites.
“It has been Trump’s first port of call on the trail following his all-clear [with Covid-19] which is demonstrative of its importance to his campaign, but it seems that the books believe Biden is hitting stride at just the right time.
“With that said, the race for the Sunshine State remains far from over and it wouldn’t be a shock to us to see Trump as favorite a week from now.”
UK-based bookmaker Betfair reported movement in the opposite direction, however, suggesting Trump’s chance of winning the state had shifted in his favor, from 6-4 to 11-10, while Biden had slipped from 8-11 to 4-5 over the last 48 hours.
In a sign of the importance of Florida to the presidential race, Trump chose the state for his first rally stop since returning to campaigning after his coronavirus diagnosis. The president will also be back in the state Friday for another rally in Ocala.
Speaking at the event in Sanford on Monday, Trump took aim at Biden while seeking to defend his record on the coronavirus pandemic.
Trump later tweeted: “Biden losing big in Florida. Only Fake Polls show otherwise!”
Biden spent Tuesday in Florida, giving a speech at a senior center in Pembroke Pines, near Fort Lauderdale.
“President Trump comes to Sanford today bringing nothing but reckless behavior, divisive rhetoric, and fear-mongering,” Biden said. “But, equally dangerous is what he fails to bring: no plan to get this virus that has taken the lives of over 15,000 Floridians under control.”
Polling from Emerson College put Biden ahead by three points, with 50 percent of the support compared to 47 percent for Trump.
The poll was conducted October 10 to 12 among 690 likely voters in Florida. It has a credibility interval, similar to a margin of error, of 3.7 percent.
According to Morning Consult’s latest polling for the state, conducted among 4,785 likely voters October 2 to 11, Biden has a 5-point lead. The margin of error was 1.4 percent.
Trump narrowly beat Hillary Clinton, his 2016 rival, in Florida by 112,000 votes.
