Polls and Elections: From Hillary to Michelle: Public Opinion and the Spouses of Presidential Candidates

Abstract

This study analyzes public opinion data on would‐be first ladies during the presidential campaign season from 1992 to 2008. By comparing attitudes toward would‐be first ladies over the last five presidential cycles, we identify key areas of stability and change in Americans' attitudes toward these individuals. Additionally, survey data are used to explore how attitudes about these women differ across key demographics, to identify factors that shape the public's attitudes concerning presidential candidates' wives, and to explore the impact of these women on their husbands' favorability ratings. The results indicate that spouses who embody the traditional role of first lady tend to be more popular, while spouses who assume an active role in advocating policy, such as Hillary Clinton, garner less support. Most candidate spouses generate highly polarized reactions along partisan lines, although more traditional spouses evoke a less divisive response.

Evaluations of Michelle Obama as First Lady: The Role of Racial Resentment

“…More generally, the article seeks to make a contribution to understanding the dynamics underlying approval of First Ladies, a topic that Burrell, Elder, and Frederick (2011) and Sulfaro () have suggested requires greater scholarly attention. Of course, the well‐documented partisan polarization in American politics (see, e.g., Abramowitz ; Abramowitz and Saunders 2008; Black and Black ; Layman and Carsey ) has likely been a contributing factor in explaining the increasingly partisan evaluations of the spouses of presidents and presidential candidates (Burrell, Elder, and Frederick ; Sulfaro ).…”

Why We Love Michelle: Understanding Public Support for First Lady Michelle Obama

“…At this meeting, Michelle Obama earned headlines by hugging the Queen -a departure from protocol but not rising to the level of serious controversy. During the 2008 campaign, pollsters asked one question about whether respondents had heard about Michelle Obama's statement that this was the first time in her life that she was really proud of her country, which did emerge as a controversy; however, this happened prior to her tenure in the White House (Burrell, Elder, and Frederick 2011). Thus, similar to Laura Bush, Michelle Obama as first lady was successful in steering clear of scandals as well as saying or doing anything controversial during her time in office.…”

Identity Mediators: Leadership and Identity Construction in Campaign Speeches of American Presidential Candidates' Spouses

“…Scholarly interest in presidential spouses is still young (for a review, see Stooksbury & Edgemon, ; Watson, ). To date, such work has mainly focused on three areas: the individual First Lady and her role (e.g., Borelli, ), the political influence they might exert within the White House (e.g., O'Connor, Nye, & van Assendelf, ), and public opinion about the formal and informal construct of the office (e.g., Burrell, Elder, & Frederick, ). Something that remains unexamined is the prospective First Lady's role in identity construction during the presidential campaign from her unique position as someone able to address candidate's personal attributes and experiences.…”