Michelle Obama Replacing Biden Is Possible But Still Won't Beat Trump: Polls
Michelle Obama replacing President Joe Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee remains a possibility, but polls showed she would lose to Donald Trump in a potential matchup.
Since Biden's disastrous debate performance against Trump last week, calls for the 81-year-old to drop out and be replaced by another candidate have intensified.
If Biden withdraws before he's formally nominated at the Democratic National Convention in August, a vote can be held by the Democratic National Committee to choose a new candidate, according to the Daily Mail.
Former President Barack Obama's wife has become one of the most popular potential Biden replacements.
The betting odds for Michelle becoming the Democrats' presidential nominee for the 2024 race are at +1650, according to Oddschecker. The betting odds show how much money one could win for every $100 wagered.
In comparison, California Gov. Gavin Newsom's odds were at +1150, while Vice President Kamala Harris' were at +3300.
However, a poll conducted by the Daily Mail and J.L. Partners in March found that Michelle would not be able to beat Trump if she were the Democratic candidate.
In the poll of 1,000 voters, Trump received 47% of the votes, while the former first lady got 44%.
The same poll showed Biden (43%) trailing Trump (46%) by three percentage points.
While the idea of Michelle being "an emergency parachute for Biden" has been touted by some Democrats, the poll showed that "voters are no more keen to vote for Michelle over Trump than they are for Biden," J.L. Partners James Johnson noted.
"It was never very realistic, but this poll puts paid to the idea she can be any kind of saving force for the Democrats," he added.
Trump also beat Newsom and Harris in post-presidential debate polling conducted by think tank Data for Progress, according to the Daily Mail.
Despite the calls to replace Biden, however, Democratic leaders have no plans of selecting another nominee for the Nov. 5 election, Reuters reported.
Michelle also made it clear in March that she won't run for president.
"As former first lady Michelle Obama has expressed several times over the years, she will not be running for president," her office said in a statement to NBC News. "Mrs. Obama supports President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris' re-election campaign."
In her 2023 interview special with Oprah Winfrey, Michelle explained that politics was "not in [her] soul."
