Don’t know which presidential candidate to backl? Fear not. Las Vegas to the rescue. Here are the top-five candidates for the US President according to an average of Las Vegas odds makers in ascending order. Note: odds are changing every day, if not on the hour.

www.people.com

www.people.com

5. Jeb Bush (15-1)

Bush brings a lot of family values to the ticket. Values like having a daddy and a brother who were US Presidents. He has his own experience as well. He may not have run the country before, but he has run a whole state: Florida. Recently, Bush was seen as the favorite for the Republican ticket. But, even more recently, he was seen unfavorably in the Colorado debates. There is no doubting his ability to run a state (or even a country), but backers are now wondering about his broad appeal.

www.cnbc.com

www.cnbc.com

4. Bernie Sanders (10-1)

Sanders is today’s version of the candidate who projects as the common American. He wants free college and health care for all. His problem is not his ideas. It is the name he uses for them: Democratic Socialism, Sanders assures us he is redefining the word socialism, but why bother with the stigma? When they see the word socialism, they think of Stalin and Lenin, not a US President.

www.slate.com

www.slate.com

3. Donald Trump (7-1)

There are two camps. One will ask why is he not taken more seriously and not on the top of the list? The other camp will ask why is he being taken seriously at all and how did he get on the list? No one candidate for US President polarizes the voters more than Donald Trump. Unlike most politicians, there is no doubt where he stands or what he thinks. Trump is more than willing to share hs opinions (to his detriment). His Republican supporters salivate over his name appeal. Everyone knows who Trump is. Is that a good thing? Depends on which camp you belong to.

abcnews.go.com

abcnews.go.com

2. Marco Rubio (4-1)

Rubio was the least known when this all started. He has now grown to number two on the list. The Florida senator from Bush’s own backyard went from being the second-best candidate from his own state to the best (at the moment). But will it be enough to be the next US President? Several candidates have won the presidency despite very little of the public being aware of them at the start (such as Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton). Voters got to know them through their campaigns. What are the voters learning about Rubio? His detractors says he is an absent politician. He recently snubbed briefings on the Paris bombings for a campaign fundraiser in California. His supporters say he will bring welcome change from the previous administration. It is too early to know what the voters say.

www.cbsnews.com

www.cbsnews.com

1. Hillary Clinton (4-5)

Did you guess right before you peaked this far? Clinton has the highest name recognition from the eight years that her husband ran the country. Some have even argued that she ran the country and therefore has the most experience for this job. Either way, Hillary was no stay-at-home wife during Bill’s tenure as a US President. She ran and won the New York Senator race after Bill’s eight years and followed that with being appointed as Secretary of State under the Obama administration. That is an impressive background for someone who has not been president before.

But, the job is won by more than experience. Voters also want to know where the future is headed? Clinton has muddied that vision due to her own campaign going after a video by the Laugh Factory. A Clinton campaign official, who was not identified by Laugh Factory owner Jamie Masada, apparently wanted the video taken down and be given the names and contact info of the five performers in the skit. Apparently, there was no complaint from the Clinton campaign of Dana Carvey’s lampoon of Donald Trump in a more recent Laugh Factory performance. Despite the issues of free speech, how important is it for your candidate to have a sense of humor?


 

Which candidate will you gamble on?


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