The only person who could possibly lead the Democratic Party to victory on November 5th is former First Lady Michelle Obama, according to a recent Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll which comes as US President Joe Biden’s dismal performance in the debate against Donald Trump sparked calls for the former to step aside.
Three out of five respondents, including almost one-third of Democrats, think the 81-year-old president should withdraw from the race entirely and allow his party to pick a another candidate. If an election were to be held right now, Biden and Trump would still each receive an estimated 40% of the vote.
Although Biden just confirmed that he will stay in the race, names of potential Democratic successors have begun to surface. The majority of his possible successors, however, don’t seem to have what it takes to prevail either. While Trump was leading Vice President Kamala Harris by one point, Governors Gavin Newsom of California and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan were distanced three and five percentage points respectively.
With 50% of the vote to Trump’s 39%, Michelle Obama is instead the only well-known Democrat with a chance to win – boasting a 55% approval rating overall. Because of her position as an advocate for healthy eating and the fight against income disparity, the wife of former President Barack Obama has maintained a good rating for more than ten years, scoring even better than both his husband and former President Bill Clinton.
The question being asked by experts is: how meaningful can these figures be considering that Michelle Obama has only ever held two minor public offices in an obscure local arena, as one of many Assistants to the Mayor of Chicago, and as Assistant Commissioner of Planning and Development. Despite this grave handicap she remains the leading contender when compared to seasoned politicians. Her popularity is founded exclusively on her position as First Lady.
1,070 US people were polled for the study, which took place between July 1 and July 2. Among them were 892 registered voters, 348 Democrats, 322 Republicans, and 303 independents.
