Three-quarters of those who voted for President Joe Biden in 2020 said they would back former First Lady Michelle Obama if she ran for the 2024 Democratic nomination, according to a survey.
A Redfield and Wilton Strategies poll of 1,500 U.S. adults conducted exclusively for Newsweek found that 46 percent of eligible voters would support the attorney and wife of former President Barack Obama if she decided to run for the White House.
When the results are broken down further, the data shows that 75 percent of those who voted for Biden in the last election would support Michelle Obama, as well as 21 percent who supported Republican Donald Trump.
The poll was conducted before Biden clinched the 2024 Democratic nomination on Tuesday following resounding primary victories in Georgia, Mississippi, and Washington. The survey results come amid ongoing concerns about the 81-year-old's reelection hopes.
Polls suggest Biden is behind Trump with less than eight months ahead of the November elections, with the president currently recording his lowest-ever average approval rating of 37.4 percent.
The latest poll also found that nearly half (45 percent) said they would support Joe Biden ending his reelection campaign.
Michelle Obama has never indicated she intends to run for office but remains a popular figure among the general population, and has often been discussed as a potential presidential candidate. Michelle Obama's office has been contacted for comment via email.
However, even though it seems Biden is not as popular a candidate as the Democratic Party would like, no other candidate appears to strongly appeal to voters either.
Michelle Obama gets the backing of 46 percent of eligible voters when just her name is given as an option. When other Democratic figures are introduced, her support drops to 10 percent, behind Vice President Kamala Harris (15 percent) and on par with 2016's nominee Hillary Clinton (10 percent).
The most popular response to who people would prefer to see as the Democratic nominee if Biden pulls out was 29 percent saying "don't know". The full list of options for respondents included California Governor Gavin Newsom (5 percent) and Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg (6 percent).
Recently, Michelle Obama's team issued a statement once again quashing any suggestion she is seeking the Democratic nomination in 2024.
"As former First Lady Michelle Obama has expressed several times over the years, she will not be running for president," Crystal Carson, director of communications for her office, told NBC News.
"Mrs. Obama supports President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris' re-election campaign."
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Ewan Palmer is a Newsweek News Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on US politics, domestic policy ... Read more
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