Campaign Staffers Place Bets on Prediction Markets Using Internal Polling Data

Campaign staffers are turning private polling data into personal paydays by betting on election prediction markets, NPR reported. Staffers tell NPR they make thousands of dollars betting on their own candidates. They describe election prediction markets as a "Wild West" for staffers with access to nonpublic information.

The NPR report was published on May 7, 2026, and appeared at 5:00 AM ET. It was heard on Morning Edition. The audio segment length is 3:24. The story draws on direct accounts from campaign staffers who acknowledged placing bets while working on races.

Those staffers said the markets reward anyone who can translate internal polling into wagers before the data becomes public. NPR reported that such activity has become routine in some campaigns. Prediction markets allow participants to buy and sell shares tied to specific outcomes, such as which candidate will win a primary or general election.

Staffers with early looks at polling can move ahead of shifts in those markets. The staffers told NPR the environment feels unregulated and wide open.

“Wild West" for staffers.”

“— Campaign staffers, via NPR The report underscores how private polling, once used strictly for strategy, now doubles as a revenue source for some campaign employees. NPR reported that the staffers it spoke with made thousands of dollars through these bets. The piece does not identify specific campaigns or races. No campaign has commented publicly on the practice in the report. The staffers who spoke to NPR framed the activity as an inevitable byproduct of loosely overseen markets. NPR reported the accounts without naming the individuals.”