For readers who don’t frequent bookie sites, the mariner provides today’s odds that a candidate will be elected President.
| Hillary Clinton | 8/11 | 72% |
| Marco Rubio | 5/1 | 20% |
| Donald Trump | 8/1 | 12½% |
| Ted Cruz | 12/1 | 8% |
| Jeb Bush | 22/1 | 4½% |
| Bernie Sanders | 28/1 | 3½% |
| Chris Christie | 33/1 | 3% |
| Ben Carson | 200/1 | ½% |
| John Kasich | 200/1 | ½% |
| Rand Paul | 200/1 | ½% |
| Martin O’Malley | 250/1 | 2/5% |
| Mike Huckabee | 250/1 | 2/5% |
| Carley Fiorina | 250/1 | 2/5% |
With the primaries about a month away, mariner doesn’t recommend placing a bet – except perhaps for Hillary since the odds for a democratic win are 150% versus the republicans at 120%.
As we enter the primary season, give some thought to the undercard, that is, the reader’s senators, representatives, state legislators, governors and mayors. Many states are so tightly bound by grotesquely gerrymandered voting districts that the winners can be predicted without voting. This is not a healthy sign for a democracy. Only nine states are swing states – worth 130 Electoral College votes. They are:
Nevada, Colorado, Iowa, Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, Florida and New Hampshire.
217 electoral votes are necessary to win the Presidential election. If the reader wants to track changes, a good site is: http://www.electoral-vote.com/ or http://www.bing.com/search?q=which+states+tossup+for+presidential+election&qs=n&form=QBLH&pq=which+states+tossup+for+presidential+election&sc=0-19&sp=-1&sk=&cvid=CC555DFBC2CF4D5F88AFB548D98F4E22
This is a very important election. The mariner strongly, strongly urges the reader to attend your caucus or primary. Then, especially strongly, vote in November.
Ancient Mariner