There's One Clear Favorite For Pope, And The Question Is Who Will Emerge As His Rival

As the Papal voting gets underway, it's hard not to be reminded of the 2012 GOP primary.

At the time, everyone knew that Mitt Romney was the favorite, while the others (Newt, Santorum, etc.) tried to emerge as the anti-Romney.

At the Vatican, Angelo Scola (from Milan) is the clear favorite.

And the question is whether a pope from somewhere else can emerge as the anti-Scola.

Pope odds: Scola 30%, Scherer 15%, Turksin 13%, Erdo 10%, Bertone 9%, Ouellet 8%, O'Malley 6%, Von Schonborn 6%. (Via Betfair.)

— David Leonhardt (@DLeonhardt) March 12, 2013