Posted on: January 26, 2026, 08:44h.
Last updated on: January 26, 2026, 08:45h.
- Prediction market operator announces opening of new Washington, DC office
- Former Biden staffer John Bivona will be company’s first head of government relations
- Bivona has nearly two decades experience as a Democrat advisor, strategist
Prediction market operator Kalshi announced the opening of a new office in Washington, DC and that its federal lobbying efforts will be led by a former member of the Biden Administration.
John Bivona, who has nearly two decades of experience in Democrat circles, will be Kalshi’s first head of federal government relations. The hiring comes as prediction market operators are facing increasing scrutiny and criticism the product they’re offering is essentially gambling cloaked in finance.
Bivona has helped elect Democrats at the Presidential, Senate, and House level. In 2018, he served as the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) Deputy National Political Director, where he advised and recruited candidates during the pivotal 2018 election that remade the House of Representatives,” according to a statement.
Most recently, he started his own advisory and lobbying firm where he worked with large established companies as well as fast-growing startups.
Bivona Hire Likely to Stir Political Speculation
In today’s hyper-partisan environment, Kalshi’s hiring of Bivona is could stoke speculation in a variety of ways. For example, there’s already talk in some social media circles that the hiring is Kalshi’s way of saying it expects Democrats to control at least one chamber of Congress following the 2026 midterm elections.
Bringing Bivona on board may also dispel the notion that Kalshi is a right-leaning company simply due to the fact that Donald Trump Jr. is one of its advisers. Some voices in other corners of the gaming world have said President Trump’s regulatory regime overtly favors prediction markets and that when a Democrat reclaims the White House, that party will end. However, that appears to be more opinion than fact.
To its credit, Kalshi isn’t overtly political. However, staff at some of its Silicon Valley financial backers are Democrat benefactors and Cooley LLP — Kalshi’s law firm — directed 92.32% of its political donations in the 2024 cycle to Democrats.
The recently launched Coalition for Prediction Markets (CPM), of which Kalshi is a founding member, is playing things down the middle, announcing the hiring of former Democrat and Republican congressmen to leadership roles.
Kalshi Makes a State Hire, Too
Bivona is the headline hire, but the addition of Blake Bee to lead Kalshi’s state-level efforts may be equally as important when considering the bulk of the company’s legal woes are with state, not federal regulators.
“Bee joins from Amazon, where he served as a Senior Manager of State and Local Public Policy and led engagement with state attorneys general. Before Amazon, he spent seven years at the National Association of Attorneys General, including as director of its Center for Leadership Development,” according to the statement.