Michelle Obama For President: Betting Odds For 2020

• Michelle Obama is a trendy pick as an alternative Democratic presidential nominee, although her presidential election odds (+5000) are still much longer than a few other candidates.
• The main hang-up is that Obama doesn’t seem to want to return to politics.
• If she changes her mind, she would almost assuredly earn the nod as Biden’s running mate and would likely be the DNC’s top choice to replace Biden if it becomes necessary.

WASHINGTON – Michelle Obama continues to gain traction as a potential alternative to presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. The former First Lady enjoys a high degree of popularity among Democratic voters and even with progressives who have largely rejected Biden.

Obama now has the fourth shortest political betting odds to earn the Democratic nomination in 2020 and is tied for the fifth shortest presidential odds.

Despite surging support among Democratic voters and pundits alike, Obama herself has not indicated a desire to return to life in the White House, either as a running mate or as President.

If she does change her mind and throw her hat in the ring, expect betting odds to shorten rapidly.

Obama has more clout with voters than New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and is more popular among voters than former Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton—the current top choices to replace Biden.

Joe Biden’s Eroding Political Support

While Joe Biden remains the presumptive nominee, the merits of his candidacy seem to be questioned more every day.

Biden continues to face questions about his potential cognitive decline, and about former campaign staffer Tara Reade’s allegations of sexual assault.

His involvement with Burisma, a Ukrainian natural gas company, has also been called into question. Burisma employs Biden’s son Hunter and allegedly paid Biden over $900,000 in lobbying fees.

All these factors could lead the Democratic National Convention to consider replacing Biden.

Clinton and Cuomo seem to be the preferred candidates for now, but that could quickly change if Obama has a change of heart. On paper, she is a slam dunk candidate for the Democrats.

Even if Biden wins the nomination, he is already 77 years old and would be 78 by the time of his inauguration.

If Biden were forced to step down in office, his vice president would take his place.

Michelle Obama’s Vice-Presidential Odds

Biden himself has said that he would nominate Obama “in a heartbeat” if she were interested in the job.

Her vice-presidential betting odds are now the fourth shortest.

California Senator Kamala Harris still holds the inside track, but Obama would almost certainly become a heavy favorite if she decided she was comfortable with a return to the White House.

Democratic party officials will likely try to incentivize Obama to enter the fray, especially given President Obama’s role in consolidating moderate support behind Biden in the Democratic primary.

The November election is shaping up to be very contentious, with a high degree of voter apathy.

Obama’s “star power” could help Biden swing undecided voters.

Biden now trails President Donald Trump in most battleground states and at legal sports betting sites, and the Democrats need a jolt of energy.

Obama could easily provide that jolt, but it’s far from a given that she has any interest in a return to politics.

News tags: Andrew Cuomo | Barack Obama | Burisma | Democratic National Convention | Democrats | DNC | Donald Trump | First Lady Michelle Obama | Hillary Clinton | Hunter Biden | Joe Biden | Michelle Obama | Mike Pence | President Obama | Ukraine