Kalshi expands political footprint with DC office and Democratic hiring

Predictions market platform Kalshi said it will open an office in Washington, D.C., and hire “talent from both sides of the aisle” as part of the company’s efforts to expand its US footprint.

In a Monday notice, Kalshi said it had hired former Biden administration official John Bivona as the prediction market’s head of federal government relations, and Blake Bee, a former Amazon senior manager of state and local public policy.

The move came as many bets on prediction markets such as Kalshi and Polymarket are under scrutiny by US federal lawmakers and state officials.

In a statement to Cointelegraph, a Kalshi spokesperson said the company “acts as a neutral platform” and is “in dialogue with stakeholders” about plans to engage with US lawmakers and potentially get involved in the 2026 elections.

Many users turned to Kalshi after 2024 court ruling allowed to the platform offer event contracts linked to the American elections. However, the platform faces legal challenges in at least four US states for offering betting on unlicensed sporting events.

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Kalshi remains one of the largest prediction market platforms, representing approximately two thirds of total trading volume in the market, according to Dune Analytics data as of January 12. Other platforms include Polymarket and PredictIt.

Major platforms predict the possibility of a US government shutdown

US lawmakers in Congress have until midnight on January 31 to pass a funding bill aimed at keeping the government open. As of Tuesday, it is unclear whether such a bill will pass as many Democrats are demanding changes in Department of Homeland Security funding regarding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol actions in U.S. cities.