Democrats are scrambling for a potential replacement for President Joe Biden on the 2024 ticket after his embarrassing debate performance against Donald Trump.
But Michelle Obama is so far the only potential Democratic challenger who could beat Trump, according to post-debate polling.
Others names like California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Vice President Kamala Harris are being floated – but none so far are faring better than Trump in polls.
While the former first lady has not said anything publicly about any interest in being on the ticket, it appears she has one of the clearest paths toward getting added to the ballot and accepted by Democrats.
Those within the Democratic Party have acknowledged, however, that party rules make it hard for other candidates to earn the nomination this year and if Biden doesn’t agree to step aside, the prospects become essentially impossible.
Delegates were finalized at selection on June 22 and were chosen on a state-by-state basis to represent support for the president in the nomination process. It’s unlikely they would shift their backing.
There are 43,933 pledged Democratic delegates for 2024 and to win the presidential nomination a candidate must earn a majority of them – estimated at 1,968 this year.
But many say they aren’t changing this late in the game.
‘That’s not even remotely a topic of conversation,’ Aaron Sims, a Biden delegate in Nevada, told ABC News on changing his vote from Biden to another candidate.
And Sami Khaldi, a Biden delegate from Michigan, added: ‘I am still supporting President Biden until this moment.’
Democratic delegates are ‘pledged’ to a candidate meaning by party rules delegates ‘shall in all good conscience’ reflect the views of those who elected them.
There is no official penalty if a delegate votes differently – but if a Biden delegate simply sits out of the first round of balloting instead of backing the president, their vote would not count towards anyone.
Michelle Obama, who has never held any elected position, has promising polling figures, popularity among voters and ability to draw from her husband’s political connections – and she might be just what the party needs to get back on track.
Former President Barack Obama spoke on the phone with his former VP after the debate Thursday to offer support and private counsel. But behind the scenes, he has told allies that Biden’s tough reelection path has grown even more challenging after stumbling his way through the showdown with Trump.
There are only four months until the 2024 presidential election and the Democratic National Committee will have its official candidate decided by August 22, which is the last day of the nominating convention in Chicago, Illinois.
If Michelle Obama were actually to become the party’s nominee, they would need to act fast to convince Biden to bow out and recruit the former first lady to step-in before the Democratic Convention.
Newsom and Whitmer have dismissed chatter about them taking over for Biden and reaffirmed after the car crash debate their commitment to backing the president’s reelection.
Not only is Obama the only potential candidate that could beat Trump, but she beats him by a whopping 11 percent margin, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Trump and Biden at a tie with 40 percent each and 16 percent claiming they would not vote in a 2020 rematch or would vote for a different, third-party candidate.
Every other politician included in the poll – both Harris and a handful of Democratic governors – aren’t able to skirt ahead of the former president.
Harris loses to Trump by one percent and Newsom loses by three percent, according to the Reuters/Ipsos survey of 892 registered voters between July 1-2. Whitmer fares even worse, falling behind the former president by five percent.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democratic leader of a Republican state, is behind by four percent and Illinois Gov. J. B. Pritzker comes in last with a six percent disadvantage over Trump.
Obama, however, gets 50 percent of the vote compared to Trump’s 39 percent when the two were placed in a hypothetical head-to-head
It’s unclear if Obama, who said the potential of another Trump term is ‘terrifying,’ has any interest in seeking public office.
But if she does, there is already a built-in network of strategists and loyalists who would be more than ready to jump-in to help propel their former boss’s wife to the White House.
For example, David Axelrod served as a senior political strategist to Barack Obama’s 2012 campaign and has been an outspoken critic of President Biden and his push for reelection. It unclear if he would be welcomed back into the fold, but it’s possible he could consult should the Obama’s make a return to Washington.
Other former Obama aides have aligned themselves to Biden’s team and might not be as willing to abandon their new boss.
For example, Jennifer O’Malley Dillon was former President Obama’s 2012 deputy campaign manager. But after serving as Biden’s deputy chief of staff in the White House, she is now helping lead his reelection bid.
Additionally, once-Obama’s campaign press secretary, Ben LaBolt is now the White House communications director.