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Hillary-Michelle in 2016? 'First lady ticket' called 'dream ticket'

By GABRIELLE LEVY, UPI.com
Secret 2016 strategy session? UPI/Roger L. Wollenberg.
1 of 2 | Secret 2016 strategy session? UPI/Roger L. Wollenberg. | License Photo

No conversation about the 2016 presidential race is complete without one Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee (and overall frontrunner), should she decide to enter the race.

But what about Clinton-Obama -- as in, Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama?

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The current first lady has brushed aside suggestions that she would be a candidate for political office after her husband leaves the White House in four years, even, at one point, joking about throwing her hat in the ring to host "The Tonight Show" when Jay Leno retires.

But Obama's disinterest -- and Clinton's silence so far on her own political future -- has done nothing to dissuade Democrats gunning for a "former first ladies club" ticket.

"All due respect for President Obama and Vice President Biden, but that would truly be a dream team for America," said Karen Finney, a former spokeswoman for the Democratic Party and Clinton. "Both women are proven effective leaders who've raise children, so dealing with Congress would be a snap."

"'First lady' ticket for president" bumper stickers have popped up on Cafe Press, which according to the Washington Examiner, reported a 60 percent increase in sales from December to March.

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Clinton, who has been largely out of the public eye since she left her job at the helm of the State Department in February, is polling well ahead of other potential contenders for the 2016 Democratic nomination, and would beat each of the current Republican front-runners by sizable margins.

A Quinnipiac poll released last week showed Clinton beating New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, her closest competitor, 45 to 37 percent.

Neither Vice President Joe Biden nor New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, both considered top Democrat contenders, would beat Christie in a head-to-head match-up. Biden would, however, beat either Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., or Paul Ryan, R-Wisc.

Michelle Obama's personal popularity is high, with 65 percent of respondents in a March Harris Poll giving her high marks for her job as first lady.

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