There continue to be rumors and speculation that President Joe Biden, due to his age and declining physical and mental health, will be replaced as the Democratic Party's nominee ahead of the 2024 election in November.

A recent poll revealed that nearly half of all Democrats would approve of the party replacing Biden as the nominee, and while there was no consensus on who his replacement should be, former first lady Michelle Obama was the leader among a list of prominent Democratic contenders, the New York Post reported.

However, only around one-third of Democrats thought Biden being replaced was likely to actually occur, and it must be noted that Obama has repeatedly made it clear over the past several years that she has little interest in running for any political office.

Will Democrats try to replace Biden as the nominee?

A recent Rasmussen Reports survey found that 47% of all likely voters thought it was likely that Democrats would ultimately replace President Biden as the nominee before the election, including 22% who thought a switch was "very likely," though 45% of all voters thought such a move was unlikely, including 18% who said it was "not at all likely" to occur.

Broken down along partisan lines, the pollsters revealed a nearly two-to-one split on the likelihood of Biden being replaced, with just 33% of Democrats saying it was likely compared to 63% of Republicans who believed the switch would be made before the election.

There was a noticeable difference, however, between those who believe a Biden replacement effort was likely versus those who want to see it happen, as Rasmussen found that 48% of Democrats would approve of Biden being replaced compared to 38% who would disapprove and 14% who were unsure.

For Republicans, 45% would approve of Biden being replaced while 37% would disapprove, and among independent voters, 51% approved of the idea of Biden being replaced with a different nominee while just 27% disapproved and 23% were unsure.

Only 25% of Democrats strongly disapprove of replacing Biden as a candidate. https://t.co/6VoX4T8cBp pic.twitter.com/WH2ARA6odC

— Rasmussen Reports (@Rasmussen_Poll) February 26, 2024

Michelle Obama the top-named possible replacement for Biden

As for who should replace President Biden if he were to be removed as the Democratic Party's nominee, the Washington Examiner reported that former first lady Obama was the top name cited by around 20% of Democrats.

Coming in second was Vice President Kamala Harris with 15%, followed by failed 2016 nominee Hillary Clinton at 12%, with California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer rounding out the top five at 11% and 9%, respectively.

However, all of those potential replacements, including Obama, were beaten out by the option of "none of them," which garnered 27% support among Democratic voters.

"None of them" the top option

The Examiner further noted that among all voters, Michelle Obama was still the leading named contender to replace President Biden, albeit with just 15%, followed by VP Harris at 10%, Clinton at 9%, Newsom at 8%, and Whitmer at 7%.

Among all voters, "none of them" was far and away the leader at 46%.

And when just the crucial independent voters were considered, Obama received 14% support, Harris and Clinton were tied at 10%, Newsom and Whitmer received 8% and 7%, respectively, and 45% rejected them all by choosing "none of them" to replace Biden as the Democratic nominee.