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By Khaleda Rahman
National Correspondent
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Former first lady Michelle Obama could campaign on behalf of Vice President Kamala Harris if she becomes the Democratic nominee for president, experts told Newsweek.
Harris had secured the support of enough Democratic delegates to become the party's nominee on Monday night, The Associated Press reported.
It came after President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race on Sunday and quickly endorsed Harris to replace him and take on Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, in November.
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While many top Democrats have rallied behind Harris, who would make history as the nation's first Black and South Asian woman to become a major party's presidential nominee, others want an open process to decide who will replace Biden.
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Initially, former President Barack Obama stopped short of endorsing Harris in a statement after his former vice president's exit from the race, saying only that he had "extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges." The former first lady shared her husband's statement on X, formerly Twitter.
On Friday, the Obamas officially endorsed Harris.
Harris is seen taking a call from the couple in a video posted on social media. "I can't have this phone call without saying to my girl, Kamala, I am proud of you," Michelle Obama is heard saying. "This is going to be historic."
Former President Obama is heard saying: "We called to say Michelle and I couldn't be prouder to endorse you and to do everything we can to get you through this election and into the Oval Office."
In a post on X alongside the video, the former first lady wrote that she and her husband are backing Harris "because of her positivity, sense of humor, and ability to bring light and hope to people all across the country. We've got your back, @KamalaHarris!"
Michelle Obama's spokesperson has been contacted for comment via email.
One of the Democratic Party's most popular figures, Obama was among the names floated to replace Biden as he faced calls to drop out of the presidential race following a disastrous debate performance in June that raised concerns about his ability to beat Trump and serve a second term.
Some polling has shown Obama could beat Trump in a hypothetical matchup. However, she has repeatedly shut down speculation about making her own run for the White House.
"As former first lady Michelle Obama has expressed several times over the years, she will not be running for president," her director of communications, Crystal Carson, told Newsweek earlier this month, reiterating a statement issued in March.
The former first lady spoke at the Democratic National Convention in 2020, and engaged in the race through her nonpartisan voting initiative When We All Vote.
But she had not actively campaigned for Biden's reelection, unlike her husband, who has attended fundraisers and appeared in campaign videos. Experts say that could change if Harris becomes the party's nominee.
"Michelle Obama is clearly popular within the Democratic Party, and it wouldn't be at all surprising if she hit the campaign trail for Harris after the Democratic convention wraps up," Thomas Gift, an associate professor of political science and director of the Centre on U.S. Politics at University College London, told Newsweek.
"Even if her appeal may be strongest with suburban women, her popularity extends beyond that demographic. She could be a significant asset to the Harris campaign," he said.
Andra Gillespie, an associate professor of political science at Emory University and director of the James Weldon Johnson Institute for the Study of Race and Difference, said the reason Obama is popular is because she is not a politician.
"The moment she becomes a politician, she expends some of the good will that she has built up over the last 15 years of public life," Gillespie told Newsweek. "I suspect that Mrs. Obama intends to use her notoriety to raise awareness about the issues that she cares about, but she will do this as a former first lady and not as an active political candidate."
Obama campaigning for Harris could fuel the right-wing paranoia "that sees the Obamas as the puppet-masters behind the Biden administration," Geoffrey Kabaservice, the director of political studies at the Niskanen Center, told Newsweek.
"But more realistically, Michelle remains one of the most popular political non-politicians in the country and I'm sure that her participation would benefit a Harris campaign," he said.
Obama "is a gifted speaker and an effective surrogate on the campaign trail," Costas Panagopoulos, a political science professor at Northeastern University, told Newsweek.
"She's especially powerful to energize Black voters, and especially Black women, who will be central to a Democratic victory in 2024," he said. "I expect she'll be 'all in' for Democrats in the general election, fueled in part by her distaste for Donald Trump and the conservative Republican agenda which is so anathema to her ideological views."
Update 7/26/24, 5:54 a.m. ET: This article has been updated to include details about Barack and Michelle Obama's endorsement of Harris.
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