Former President Barack Obama has expressed his full support for President Joe Biden’s re-election effort, but many Democrats are wondering about the role his popular wife, Michelle Obama, might play in the campaign.
There is speculation among Democrats about Michelle Obama playing a more significant role in the campaign, with some even suggesting she could replace Biden on the 2024 ticket.
However, supporters of Republican front-runner Donald Trump have also fixated on this idea, hoping to use it to diminish Biden’s political standing and energize the GOP base.
Michelle Obama’s office has tried to temper these speculations, stating that she has no plans to run for president in 2024. Her office emphasized her support for Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’ re-election campaign.
Sources familiar with the discussions indicate that she intends to assist the Biden campaign, as she did in 2020, but her involvement is expected to be limited compared to her husband’s, reflecting her other commitments and her reluctance to fully re-enter the political arena.
Despite her limited role, the Biden campaign sees Michelle Obama’s star power as a valuable asset, especially in engaging swing voters later in the campaign.
There have been early conversations with her team about campaign engagements, and her nonpartisan voter registration group, When We All Vote, aligns with the campaign’s goals of promoting turnout and closing the registration gap among young voters and people of color.
The Biden campaign expressed gratitude for the support of both Barack and Michelle Obama in the fight for the future of democracy.
While Michelle Obama has repeatedly expressed her reluctance to run for president, her office has carefully crafted responses to questions about her political future, leaving the door open to other possibilities while affirming her commitment to her current endeavors, such as When We All Vote.
Michelle Obama and Jill Biden, as first and second ladies during the Obama administration, had a close partnership, particularly in their Joining Forces initiative to support military families. They have remained friendly, according to sources close to both women.
