A survey has indicated that nominating former First Lady Michelle Obama as the official presidential candidate by the Democratic party will be the best choice to beat Donald Trump.
The party members are losing hope in Biden amid his health challenges and disappointing debate. They feel their problems may be solved if they convince the former first lady and offer an official nomination to her.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll released Tuesday found Michelle, 60, trouncing Trump, 78, by 11 percentage points, 50% to 39%, among registered voters.
The other matchups show Biden even with Trump at 40% each, while the 45th president defeats Vice President Kamala Harris by a single percentage point (43%-42%).
The 45th president also would triumph over a slate of Democratic governors potentially in line to replace Biden, including California’s Gavin Newsom, Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer, Kentucky’s Andy Beshear, and Illinois’ J.B. Pritzker.
While her husband Barack publicly came to Biden’s defense following his debate flop against Trump last week, Michelle Obama has been keeping her distance throughout the re-election cycle.
Michelle, who enjoys favorable opinion among voters, according to the Reuters/Ipsos survey, maintained close ties to Hunter Biden’s ex-wife Kathleen Buhle during the Obama administration and is reportedly steamed about her friend being exiled by the first family.
She also explicitly declined to back Biden, 81, when asked about the president’s re-election campaign during a 2022 interview.
Barack Obama has appeared at fundraisers for Biden throughout the 2024 election cycle, most recently to help him offstage July 15 after a huge haul from Hollywood donors who watched ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel interview the pair at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.
Unless he steps down voluntarily, Biden will almost certainly be the Democratic nominee in 2024.
On Wednesday, the 81-year-old reassured his campaign staff of his intentions to stay in the race but reportedly griped to a close ally that he may be finished if his polling numbers continue to fall amid subsequent public appearances.
According to the Reuters/Ipsos poll, more than half (56%) of Americans say Biden should drop out, while 46% say Trump should suspend his campaign.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted July 1-2 and surveyed 1,070 US adults, 892 of whom were registered voters.
The margins of error were plus or minus 3.2 percentage points for all respondents and 3.5 percentage points for registered voters who responded.
