A recent poll positions former first lady Michelle Obama as the top candidate to challenge former President Trump in the 2024 election. Following the latest presidential debate, the Reuters/Ipsos survey asked who should face Trump in the general election.
Michelle Obama outperformed both President Biden and Vice President Harris, with Obama being the only Democrat who secured enough support to lead over Trump in a head-to-head matchup. The poll indicated Obama led Trump by 11 percentage points, garnering 50% of the vote compared to Trump’s 39%.
The survey, conducted shortly after the first debate, also reported a significant decline in Biden’s support, with 56% of registered voters believing he should withdraw from the race. Former President Obama has also expressed concerns to his supporters about Biden’s chances of re-election becoming more challenging since the debate. Vice President Harris emerged as a notable contender but did not receive enough support to surpass Trump in the poll, earning 42% compared to Trump’s 43%.
Despite being the presumptive nominee, Biden tied with Trump at 40% each in the survey. However, a notable portion of voters indicated they would either support another candidate or abstain from voting if Biden remained the nominee. California Governor Gavin Newsom also appeared in the survey with 39% support against Trump’s 42%.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll, conducted from July 1-2, has a margin of error of 3.2 percentage points.
