Despite initially having nearly two dozen candidates from which to choose — the field has since receded to roughly 20 — there is a sizeable portion of Democratic primary voters who are seemingly unimpressed with their options thus far and remain open to supporting somebody new who has yet to enter the race.
A recent poll showed that, without question, former first lady Michelle Obama would likely obliterate any and all Democratic opponents if she were to announce a 2020 run for the presidency.
Dems dissatisfied with options
The latest Fox News poll of registered voters showed that, among Democratic primary voters, former Vice President Joe Biden still leads the field with 31% support. In second place was Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) with 21%, followed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) with 19%, and South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg at 7%, rounding out the top four.
It would appear that the driving force behind those voters’ thinking is the question of who has the best chance of defeating President Donald Trump in the general election. In that regard, 68% chose Biden, 57% backed Warren, 54% supported Sanders, and 30% were behind Buttigieg.
However, only about 69% of Democratic primary voters felt they were “satisfied” with the options available to them, and a full 28% of said voters wished they had other candidates from which to choose.
Obama and Clinton and Bloomberg, oh my!
Enter Michelle Obama, who, according to the poll, would draw a remarkable 50% support from Democratic primary voters who say they would “definitely vote” for her if she were to enter the race. Only 8% of those surveyed said they’d “never” vote for her.
Compare that to failed 2016 nominee Hillary Clinton, who has long been rumored as a potential late entrant into the race. 27% of Democratic voters would “definitely” vote for her while a full 30% said they’d “never” support her in 2020.
Another potential candidate is former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg, but only 6% of those surveyed said they’d vote for him, while 32% counted themselves as a “no” vote if he were to seek the White House.
“If Hillary Clinton were to enter the race, she’d likely do so near the top of the pack,” Fox News’ Democratic pollster Chris Anderson said. “And Michelle Obama could probably clear the field.”
Trump retains GOP support
Meanwhile, the same poll showed that among Republican voters, 78% want to keep Trump on the ticket, while only 15% said they’d like to see other candidates running for the Republican nomination.
The survey also revealed that all of the top Democratic candidates would either tie or defeat Trump in the 2020 general election as things stand now. However, it is worth pointing out that, as usual, the demographic breakdown of those polled showed that the sampling was skewed in favor of Democrats, with 49% of respondents identifying as Democrats while only 41% sided with Republicans, and 11% considered themselves independent.
For the record, Michelle Obama has repeatedly made it abundantly clear that she has neither the desire nor the intention to enter the presidential race. As for Clinton, it is growing increasingly obvious that she’d like nothing better than to have another shot at the White House, but it is safe to say that President Trump would also relish another opportunity to defeat her decisively and send her packing once more.
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