Republican Party Muffs Chance to Get Out Ahead of Prediction Markets Issue
GOP Action
June 11, 2026
It is often said the Republican Party never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity.
True to form, there was no response from the Republican Party to GOP Action’s suggestion the Party act aggressively to nip a new ethical issue in the bud.
The story revolves around a news report that campaign staffers (party unspecified) used inside information to bet on their own candidates in prediction markets and, thereby, personally profit from the use of internal polling data. Details below.
GOP Action sent its suggestion to the Republican National Committee, three RNC staffers, and a state Republican National Committeewoman.
There was no response from anyone who was contacted. Thus, the RNC has proven itself once again to be tone deaf to the concerns of grassroots Republicans.
Our proposal:
The proposal is an opportunity for the Republican Party to jump ahead of the Democrats on this and take the high road on this issue. Too bad the RNC didn’t see it that way.
GOP Action would like to think the GOP is better than this. One thing is for certain: we the grassroots deserve better treatment than we got from the RNC in this instance.
GOP Action
June 11, 2026
It is often said the Republican Party never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity.
True to form, there was no response from the Republican Party to GOP Action’s suggestion the Party act aggressively to nip a new ethical issue in the bud.
The story revolves around a news report that campaign staffers (party unspecified) used inside information to bet on their own candidates in prediction markets and, thereby, personally profit from the use of internal polling data. Details below.
GOP Action sent its suggestion to the Republican National Committee, three RNC staffers, and a state Republican National Committeewoman.
There was no response from anyone who was contacted. Thus, the RNC has proven itself once again to be tone deaf to the concerns of grassroots Republicans.
Our proposal:
- GOP Action is a group of conservative Republican Party activists from across the country.
We are writing because it was recently reported that some campaign staffers have bet on their own candidates in prediction markets, using internal polling data to anticipate election outcomes and gain an edge through the use of inside information.
A prediction market is a trading platform where participants buy and sell contracts tied to the outcome of future events (e.g., Polymarket, Kalshi).
The official Rules of the Republican Party are silent on the question of prediction market betting. There are no provisions against such betting, and no germane ethics restrictions for candidates or campaign staff.
Such behavior is obviously unethical. Campaign staffers should act like fiduciaries, serving their candidate’s interest, not their own. Candidates should also be held to a fiduciary standard and act in the public interest, not their own. The use of inside information misuses a public activity (elections) for private gain.
GOP Action urges the Republican National Committee to adopt a rule prohibiting candidates and campaign staffers from betting on their own candidates in prediction markets. In the alternative, we ask the RNC to issue a proclamation declaring such betting unethical and, thus, disfavored by the Party.
We await your decision. Please advise.
The proposal is an opportunity for the Republican Party to jump ahead of the Democrats on this and take the high road on this issue. Too bad the RNC didn’t see it that way.
GOP Action would like to think the GOP is better than this. One thing is for certain: we the grassroots deserve better treatment than we got from the RNC in this instance.