Michelle Obama urged to run for president by three new political fundraising groups

One of the PACs is called 'Ready for Michelle'

Olivia Blair
Wednesday 30 November 2016 10:50 GMT
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Both Michelle and Barack Obama have denied suggestions she would run for President
Both Michelle and Barack Obama have denied suggestions she would run for President

Calls for Michelle Obama to run for the White House have been bolstered by fundraising efforts from political campaign groups.

Three Political Action Committees (PACs) have been formed over the last month all with the aim of kickstarting a campaign for the outgoing First Lady to run for president in 2020. PACs are organisations in the US that are launched with the aim of raising money for and supporting a candidate they wish to see elected.

One PAC called ‘Ready for Michelle’ identifies themselves as a “grassroots movement to encourage Michelle Obama to run for public office”.

“America needs a loving healer like Michelle in order to bring together factions of our divided nation to produce policy results,” they say on their website. “The goal of this movement is to get the ball rolling by identifying a network of supporters, volunteers and donors that would support Michelle in this endeavour. Then, if she can be convinced to run, we can provide her with an early advantage against any opponents."

The group has raised less than $1,000 so far but garnered over 1,000 signatures on their petition urging Ms Obama to run, according to The Hill.

Two other PACs called ‘Ready for Michelle 2020’ and ‘Friends of Michelle 2020’ have also reportedly filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission, as is required for all PACs, over the past fortnight

Ms Obama has been hugely popular throughout her husband’s two-term presidency. Last month she was voted the most-liked public figure in the US with 59 per cent of voters holding a positive opinion of the 52-year-old.

She was also a repeated hit on the campaign trail and after Donald Trump was elected into the White House, and some people’s dreams of having their first female president were dashed, the calls for Ms Obama to run gained momentum.

Unfortunately for the PACs, she has previously denied suggestions she would want the job. In a new Rolling Stone interview released on Tuesday, President Barack Obama said his wife will “never” run for office.

“She is as talented a person as I know,” he said. “You can see the incredible resonance she has with the American people. But I joke that she’s too sensible to want to be in politics.”

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