Should Michelle Obama run for the Senate?

A new poll suggests that she could win in her home state of Illinois

Michelle Obama: Could she follow Hillary Clinton's path from first lady to senator?
(Image credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

"Absolutely not." That was Michelle Obama's response when asked this spring if she would ever run for president. Indeed, the first lady has consistently denied any interest in holding office, even if polls show that she's more popular than her husband. As if to test her determination to stay on the political sidelines, the Democratic-leaning firm Public Policy Polling released a poll this week that shows Mrs. Obama leading Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) 51 to 40 in a hypothetical matchup. And there's more, says Justin Sink at The Hill:

The first lady is seen positively by six in 10 voters in the state, with just a third voicing a negative opinion. That far exceeds Kirk, who carries a 34 percent approval and 19 percent disapproval rating.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Ryu Spaeth

Ryu Spaeth is deputy editor at TheWeek.com. Follow him on Twitter.