Tulsi Gabbard tops Ron DeSantis in GOP presidential prediction market

A former Democratic presidential candidate from the Aloha State is ahead of Florida’s Governor in the presidential sweepstakes.

That’s the take of investors on the Kalshi platform, who rate Tulsi Gabbard over Gov. Ron DeSantis when it comes to the still-hypothetical race for the Republican nomination in 2028.

Gabbard, who serves as President Donald Trump’s Director of National Intelligence, is given a 4% chance of being the GOP standard-bearer.

That’s marginally ahead of DeSantis, Donald Trump Jr., and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, all of whom are knotted at 3%.

All of these names are behind President Donald Trump, who bettors believe has a 5% chance.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is in second place, at 7%.

And it appears to be Vice President JD Vance’s race to lose, as he is given a 53% chance of being the Republican nominee in three years.

Turning to Polymarket, it’s a good news/bad news scenario for America’s Governor.

On the positive side, DeSantis is ahead of Gabbard, who is at 2% on that platform. And he’s back ahead of Steve Bannon, who eclipsed DeSantis last month but has lost ground since.

On the negative side, the Florida Governor still is given a 3% chance of being the Republican nominee.

This puts him behind podcaster Tucker Carlson’s 4%, as well as the President’s 5%, Rubio’s 7% and Vance’s 55%.

DeSantis was talked up as a viable alternative to Trump after his landslide re-election victory in 2022, but the campaign trail proved to be a rockier path than the group of influencers who wanted to see the Florida model nationalized.

Ultimately, DeSantis withdrew ahead of the New Hampshire Primary, after winning zero counties in Iowa, where he spent the most time but for no real return in the caucus.

If DeSantis runs again, the seeming momentum behind Vance will be a real challenge, at least if the money invested in these markets means anything.