Throughout the 2024 campaign season, there were persistent rumors that former first lady Michelle Obama could swoop in at any given time and immediately become the top presidential candidate and veritable savior of the ailing Democratic Party.

There continues to be some speculation about Obama making a presidential run in 2028, but her stock has fallen substantially in the prediction markets, so much so that she has now been surprisingly surpassed by ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith, Breitbart reported.

The generally popular and left-leaning sportscaster who describes himself as a "political centrist" has seemingly toyed with the idea of attempting to save his fellow Democrats from being lost in the political wilderness following President Donald Trump's return to the White House.

Smith sits mid-pack among potential Democratic nominees

Front Office Sports reported over the weekend that ESPN's Smith had attained "relatively modest odds" for bets placed on the Kalshi prediction market on his chances to win the Democratic Party's nomination in 2028.

Per that report, Smith's odds trailed only California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, and he had the same betting price as prominent Democrats like former Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

Notably, however, Smith had better odds to be the Democratic nominee than other possible 2028 candidates like Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, former Vice President Kamala Harris, former first lady Michelle Obama, Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock, Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, and billionaire businessman Mark Cuban.

Smith sends out mixed signals about whether he'll run or not

Talk of ESPN's Smith mounting a 2028 presidential run has surged in recent weeks -- talk that Smith has both downplayed but also seemingly encouraged at the same time while he continues to publicly deride the Democratic Party for its egregious failures over the past several years.

"I can’t imagine myself ever running. The one thing that will always dissuade me from political office is having to campaign," Smith told Front Office Sports during an interview at the Super Bowl. "Now if I could just get interviewed and get into office, that would be different. But that campaign stuff would kill me because I am a straight shooter."

He offered a similar take to CNBC about one week later and further explained his aversion to campaigning for office as he said, "I’m not one of those dudes that’s great at shaking hands and kissing babies, per se, and currying favor with politicians and donors. I’m not a beggar. That’s not who I am."

However, Smith added, "If you tell me that I could catapult to the White House, and I could be in a position to affect millions upon millions of lives, not just in America, but the world over, yeah, that’s something that I would entertain."

If Trump can become president, "a lot of us could be president"

In an interview last week with TMZ Sports, ESPN's Smith made it clear that he wasn't making preparations to shift from sports commentary to politics, though he acknowledged that he didn't particularly mind the people who've been encouraging him to make a run for the presidency.

"I ain't trying to run for office or anything like that. I love talking politics. I love talking about things not just sports," he said. "If the American people want to sit up there and say 'Yo, we want Stephen A. to run,' I'm not going to be mad at that."

"I don't know what the hell they're thinking," Smith continued. "I ain't qualified, but if you want to go ahead and entertain it, you can go ahead and entertain it."

The outlet noted that President Trump's first and second elections prove that political experience isn't always necessary for a successful run for office, which Smith himself seemed to acknowledge when he added of Trump, "He's inspired all of us because if he can be president, a lot of us could be president."