Poll: Michelle Obama would be Democratic front-runner if she entered New Hampshire primary race

Former first lady Michelle Obama would be the front-runner if she entered the 2020 Democratic New Hampshire primary race, according to a Franklin Pierce University-Boston Herald poll.

"If Michelle Obama were to enter the race, it would change things dramatically," pollster R. Kelly Myers wrote in his summary of the poll results, the Boston Herald reported. "Twenty-six percent of Democrats would vote for her, making her the new front-runner. Under this scenario, Obama (26%) would lead [Elizabeth] Warren (20%), [Joe] Biden (20%), and [Bernie] Sanders (15%). She would take away 4 points from Warren, 4 points from Biden and 7 points from Sanders."

At present the Democratic race has Warren at 25 percent, Biden at 24 percent, and Sanders at 22 percent, according to the poll, which was conducted Oct. 9-13.

But will she run?

But Obama repeatedly has said she isn't interested in running for president. In fact, last year she said her time would be better spent creating many copies of herself among America's youth.

"This is why I'm not going to run for president," Obama explained. "Because I think it's a better investment to invest in creating thousands of mes."

She repeated her intention of steering clear of presidential aspirations in an interview with The National, Amtrak's travel and culture magazine, a few months back.

"Just between us, and the readers of this magazine — there's zero chance," Obama told the publication. "There are so many ways to improve this country and build a better world, and I keep doing plenty of them, from working with young people to helping families lead healthier lives. But sitting behind the desk in the Oval Office will never be one of them. It's just not for me."

What did the poll reveal about President Donald Trump?

President Trump still trends high among Republicans, with the poll indicating his overall 81 percent job approval is down just two points from early September, the paper noted.

“However, the percentage of Republican voters who would vote for Trump if the primary were held today was 88 percent a month ago, and 71 percent today, a 17-point decline," Myers said, according to the Herald. “Former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld's support increased from 3 percent in early September to 14 percent today."

Myers added that Weld's growth appears to be coming from independents who are moving away from Trump, the paper noted.

The poll also found 73 percent of Democrats strongly support removing Trump from office due to the Ukrainian scandal — but 58 percent of Republicans strongly oppose removing Trump, the Herald said.

The poll sampled 422 likely Democratic New Hampshire primary voters with +/- 4.8 percent margin of error and 405 likely Republican New Hampshire primary voters with a +/- 4.9 percent margin of error, the paper said.