President Joe Biden has remained steadfast in his pursuit of a second term in the White House, but a growing number of voters feel that he should step aside and make way for a new generation of Democratic leaders. A two-day poll conducted by Reuters/Ipsos found 32% of Democrats feel Biden should end his re-election bid. In the event Biden were to step away from the campaign trail, California Governor Gavin Newsom, Vice President Kamala Harris and former First Lady Michelle Obama appeared as the top candidates to lead the Democratic ticket. However, Michelle Obama is the only one of the three to outperform the presumptive Republican nominee, Donald Trump, in a hypothetical race.
“Among the names of top Democrats put before respondents, only Michelle Obama, wife of former Democratic President Barack Obama, outperformed Biden and led Trump 50% to 39% in a hypothetical matchup,” Jason Lange of Reuters wrote.
While survey respondents may prefer the former First Lady as a presidential candidate, the best-selling author has repeatedly expressed her desire not to run for the nation’s highest political office.
“As former First Lady Michelle Obama has expressed several times over the years, she will not be running for president,” a representative for Obama wrote.
“Mrs. Obama supports President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’ re-election campaign.”
As for the two candidates expected to meet in November, the most recent poll from USA TODAY and Suffolk University finds the incumbent down by 3% following the first debate. Trump leads with 41%, followed by Biden with 38% and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. with 8% of the vote.
