On Thursday, the White House announced that President Donald Trump has nominated two individuals to join the CFTC and its chairman, Michael Selig, as commissioners. Republican Nathan Anonick and Democrat Matthew Rowland now await Senate confirmation before they can begin their respective terms.
The move, seen by many political pundits as a bipartisan acknowledgement of the 2026 midterm election results, could provide additional weight to CFTC decisions that revolve around prediction market apps. Both individuals who were nominated Thursday have extensive public service experience.
“[President Trump] made two strong bipartisan picks for CFTC Commissioners with Nathan Anonick and Matthew Rowland,” stated Chairman Michael Selig in a social media post uploaded Thursday afternoon. “I congratulate them on their nominations and look forward to working with each of them upon their confirmation by the US Senate.”
The two candidates were nominated for separate terms as CFTC commissioners:
The staggered expiration dates correspond directly to specific commissioner seats that are being filled by each candidate. Under federal statute, CFTC commissioners serve five-year terms, with one term expiring each calendar year.
Both Anonick and Rowland will require Senate confirmations to assume their positions within the federal agency, which is currently the sole regulator for legal prediction markets. Non-Cabinet confirmations only require a simple majority to pass in the Senate (meaning cloture doesn’t require 60 votes), and the two candidates could be lumped into a single process within the upper chamber.
However, before a full vote is held, a majority of the members within the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry must vote to advance the confirmation to a full floor vote.
If either of the two candidates fails to receive the necessary simple-majority votes in the Senate by the New Year, they could face a more strict confirmation process in early January.
New congressional members are scheduled to be sworn in on January 3rd, 2027. After that, the Democratic Party will hold an estimated 56 of the 100 Senate seats while Republicans will lose the majority they have enjoyed since early 2025.
If approved, the candidates will need to be formally appointed by President Trump and take the oath of office before they can assume their new positions as CFTC commissioners.
Although they would technically have less power than current CFTC Chairman Michael Selig, some of the agency’s future policies would require a majority vote (two out of three). Such a system would contrast with the setup that the CFTC has been working with since Michael Selig took over sole administrative authority of the agency in December 2025.
The White House’s attempt to add two commissioners to the CFTC comes at a time when reports surrounding a potential crackdown on Kalshi are making the rounds on major media outlets. According to a November 10th article published by Politico, “The probe underscores the shifting winds around the prediction markets in Washington, where Democrats and regulators are dialing up scrutiny.”
In 2026, Kalshi has become, by far, the most prominent prediction market within the United States. Its weekly notional trading volume has routinely surpassed $20 billion since the start of the 2026 NFL regular season.
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