Poll: Obama endorsement could significantly sway Democratic voters

A new USA Today–Suffolk Poll released Friday shows that former President Obama could significantly sway Democratic primary voters.

The poll asked likely Democratic voters which of the party’s past presidential nominees would have the most influence on their vote today, USA Today reports, and Obama, who left the White House nearly three years ago, polled as the top former president with an overwhelming 67 percent.

{mosads}The only other past presidential nominee that polled in double-digits was former President Carter, the oldest living president at 95, who polled at 11 percent.

Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were next at 6 percent each.

When asked which of the past nominees would be the least influential in their vote, Hillary Clinton came in second at 18 percent, trailing only 1988 Democratic nominee Michael Dukakis with 23 percent.

Clinton ignited a controversy last month when she suggested that presidential hopeful Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) was a “favorite of the Russians.” 

The Democratic voters were split on whether she should continue commenting on issues relating to the 2020 election, with 46 percent saying they think that Clinton should continue to speak her mind and 46 percent saying they believe that should stay out of the fray.

Obama has yet to endorse anyone in the Democratic primary field, which includes his former vice president, Joe Biden.