Who will Biden pick for his Cabinet? Here are betting odds for three top officials
Oddsmakers have projected favorites for three Cabinet positions as President-elect Joe Biden plans to announce picks this week.
Biden is set to to name multiple Cabinet choices Tuesday, senior adviser Symone Sanders said Sunday on “Face the Nation.” The Biden-Harris transition team on Monday announced several key foreign policy and national security picks, including Antony Blinken for secretary of state.
Biden picked Alejandro Mayorkas for Secretary of Homeland Security. He is the first Latino and first immigrant to be nominated for the position. He also picked Avril Haines for Director of National Intelligence. She would be the first woman to lead the intelligence community.
The president-elect is reportedly expected to nominate Janet Yellen, former chair of the Federal Reserve, as Treasury Secretary, multiple media outlets reported Monday. She would be the first woman to head the U.S. Treasury Department if she’s confirmed.
The announcements come as the Biden-Harris transition team has been assembling White House staff and moving forward with the transfer of power process as the president-elect prepares to take office on Jan. 20, 2021. Biden’s Cabinet nominees will need to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
Here’s who betting odds from the site SportsBetting.ag list as contenders for three other key posts in Biden’s Cabinet as of Monday.
A positive number refers to the amount of money one would win if betting $100, and a negative number refers to the amount one would have to wager to win a certain amount. Negative numbers signify the favorites on betting lines.
Attorney General
▪ Doug Jones: +150
▪ Sally Yates: +300
▪ Deval Patrick: +400
▪ Xavier Becerra: +400
▪ Julian Castro: +500
▪ Tom Perez: +500
▪ Lisa Monaco: +600
▪ Merrick Garland: +600
The attorney general is the head of the U.S. Department of Justice. The role includes representing the country in legal matters and making recommendations to the president on judicial and other appointments.
Multiple names have been floated as potential picks for the position.
Sen. Doug Jones, a Democrat from Alabama who lost his bid for reelection, is said to be among Biden’s top choices for attorney general along with Sally Yates, former deputy attorney general in former President Barack Obama’s administration, CBS News reports.
Latino advocacy groups have pushed for California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to take the role, and other advocates have urged Biden to choose a Black attorney general, such as former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, according to NPR.
Other notable names include Merrick Garland, former President Barack Obama’s nomination for the U.S. Supreme Court in 2016, Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez and Julian Castro, the former United States secretary of Housing and Urban Development under the Obama administration from 2014 to 2017.
Secretary of Defense
▪ Michele Flournoy: -2000
▪ Tammy Duckworth: +600
▪ Jack Reed: +800
The secretary of defense heads the U.S. Department of Defense and serves as the president’s top adviser on defense policy.
Michele Flournoy, who previously served as undersecretary of defense for policy in former President Barack Obama’s administration, is widely considered Biden’s most likely choice for the job, The Hill reports.
If chosen, she would be the first woman to hold the position.
U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, a veteran who lost both legs while serving in Iraq, and U.S. Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island also round out the list.
Secretary of Treasury
▪ Janet Yellen: -300
▪ Lael Brainard: +400
▪ Raphael Bostic: +700
▪ Elizabeth Warren: +800
▪ Roger Ferguson: +800
▪ Sarah Bloom Raskin: +800
The secretary of treasury heads the U.S. Treasury Department and is tasked with promoting economic growth and stability and managing the government’s finances and resources, among other things
Yellen, Lael Brainard, a member of the Federal Reserve board of governors, and Roger Ferguson Jr., who previously served on the board, were all on the shortlist for the position before Yellen emerged as the expected choice, The New York Times reports.
Both wings of the Democratic party seem to approve of Yellen for the role, NBC News reports. And Biden has said he believes both moderates and progressives will be happy with his choice, according to the Times.
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who ran for president in the Democratic primary, had reportedly shown interest in the position as well, according to Politico.
This story was originally published November 23, 2020 at 9:41 AM with the headline "Who will Biden pick for his Cabinet? Here are betting odds for three top officials."
