Michelle Obama’s name continues to be floated on the fringes of discussions about who should replace Joe Biden as the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate.
The former first lady remains very popular in Democrat circles, and the prospect of her running against Donald Trump in November appears to have caused some worries among Republicans too.
And while she has not previously indicated that she would be interested in the top job – the opposite, actually – the exit of Mr Biden from the race has prompted renewed speculation.
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Mrs Obama is well-known from her time as first lady when her husband was president and could conceivably be a strong challenger to Mr Trump.
A recent Ipsos poll found she is the only hypothetical candidate to definitively defeat the Republican head-to-head, and she also topped the charts in favourability among registered voters.
And while he was effusive in his praise for Mr Biden on Sunday, Barack Obama notably did not follow the president’s lead in endorsing Kamala Harris.
The Obamas in 2015. Pic: AP
“For now, Michelle and I just want to express our love and gratitude to Joe and Jill for leading us so ably and courageously during these perilous times - and for their commitment to the ideals of freedom and equality that this country was founded on.”
The use of “for now” has raised eyebrows, though that could just be their way of avoiding endorsing another candidate right away.
Republican Senator Kevin Cramer recently told New York Magazine that “Michelle Obama would probably be the one person that could step in and keep the party united and probably provide a little bit of a moving start because of her obvious notoriety”.
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Earlier this year, her office told NBC News she was not planning to run for office in 2024.
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One of her aides pointed to her discussion last year with Oprah Winfrey to reflect her thinking – and why she would most likely never appear on a ballot herself.
“Politics is hard,” she said in the Netflix special. “And the people who get into it… you’ve got to want it. It’s got to be in your soul, because it is so important. It is not in my soul.”
