Michelle Obama for vice president? Joe Biden and Democratic voters love the idea
Many Democratic voters say they would love to see Michelle Obama run for office — including the party’s likely presidential nominee.
Joe Biden said he would pick the former first lady to be his 2020 running mate “if he thought she would accept the nomination,” KDKA reported on Monday.
“I’d take her in a heartbeat,” Biden told the TV station.
Since Biden became the only presidential hopeful left in the Democratic primary, some focus has turned to who could be on his ticket in the November election.
The former vice president has said he would choose a woman as his running mate. That’s fueled conversation about possible options, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Sen. Kamala Harris, who both ran for the party’s 2020 nomination for president — and Michelle Obama.
The former first lady has become a popular figure in recent years. In 2019, she was named the “world’s most admired woman,” according to a YouGov study.
Before Biden entered the presidential primary race last year, poll results showed he and Michelle Obama would have been neck-and-neck as the favorite among Democratic voters, The Hill reported.
And a poll from Rasmussen Reports found that Michelle Obama had a slight edge over President Donald Trump in a hypothetical 2020 general election match-up. The survey, taken in December 2019, found Michelle Obama with 48% of the vote to Trump’s 45%.
In February, about 30% of California residents said Michelle Obama was their No. 1 choice for the vice presidential nominee in the Democratic primary, according to YouGov and Stanford University pollsters. That made her the top-ranked potential running mate of all people listed on the survey.
The desire to have her run for office has come up on the campaign trail.
“Well I sure would like Michelle to be the vice president,” Biden told a man at an Iowa event in January, according to The Hill.
Despite her popularity, the former first lady has said she won’t seek office.
“She really kind of transcends politics,” Obama family adviser Valerie Jarrett told Politico. “Obviously, she supports Vice President Biden but doesn’t see herself as a political figure.”
Just take it from Michelle Obama herself. In a September 2019 interview, she told The National there was “zero chance” she would compete to become the president of the United States.
“There are so many ways to improve this country and build a better world, and I keep doing plenty of them, from working with young people to helping families lead healthier lives,” she said, according to the magazine. “But sitting behind the desk in the Oval Office will never be one of them. It’s just not for me.”
This story was originally published April 21, 2020 at 10:27 AM with the headline "Michelle Obama for vice president? Joe Biden and Democratic voters love the idea."
