Former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid told NPR that former President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama might still play a role in the 2020 Democratic primary.
Reid, speaking ahead of his home state Nevada’s 2020 caucus Saturday, said in an NPR interview published early Wednesday that it would benefit Democrats to avoid a brokered convention. He also expressed hope that if the field remains crowded heading into Milwaukee (the host of the Democratic convention) the remaining candidates could reach an agreement to throw their collective support behind a single candidate.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – FEBRUARY 15: Former U.S. Sen. Harry Reid talks to members of the media outside the East Las Vegas Library after voting on the first day of early voting for the upcoming Nevada Democratic presidential caucus at the Culinary Workers Union Hall Local 226 on February 15, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Nevada is the first caucus state to offer early voting. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
“We’re going to have to see if we can broker a deal,” he told NPR’s Tamara Keith. “Maybe we could even get Barack Obama to do it. The two most popular people in the country, and perhaps the world, are Barack and Michelle Obama.”
This isn’t the first time someone has suggested the Obamas could impact the 2020 race. (RELATED: Michael Moore Wants Michelle Obama To Run In 2020)
Fox News host and Daily Caller co-founder Tucker Carlson predicted back in November 2019 that Michelle Obama herself might enter the race if Democrats did not coalesce behind a clear nominee.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – OCTOBER 29: Former U.S. President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle close the Obama Foundation Summit together on the campus of the Illinois Institute of Technology on October 29, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. The Summit is an annual event hosted by the Obama Foundation. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
“Don’t bet against Michelle Obama,” he told his Fox News audience. “David Axelrod, who is one of the Obama’s closest and most loyal advisors, has been raising a scorched Earth campaign against Joe Biden for months. He has called [Joe Biden] a liar, a coward, all but accused him of having dementia. Would David Axelrod being doing all of that without the consent of the Obamas?”
“The Democratic Party is ripping itself apart over race and gender and class,” Carlson continued. “Michelle Obama, let’s be honest, is one of the only people who could unite the party’s warring factions.”
