As President Obama inches closer to entering the final half of his second term, speculation is emerging that the current first lady may pull a Hillary Clinton and run for a Senate seat.<\/p>\n
In a Thursday column for Reuters, Keith Koffler writes that it shouldn\u2019t be a surprise if Michelle Obama decides she wants to take a run at incumbent Illinois Republican Mark Kirk in 2016. Not only would she immediately deliver the kind of star power that would elevate her above her opponent, he writes, but her increasingly \u201cbold profile\u201d suggests she is placing herself in a position to at least seriously consider a Senate campaign.<\/p>\n
To back up his reasoning, Koffler points to numerous instances in which the first lady has placed herself in the public eye. Earlier this year, she traveled to China with her daughters on what was a highly publicized trip, and she has been active on the fundraising front, holding two events for Democratic candidates this week alone.<\/p>\n
On a more substantive front, Obama has involved herself in drumming up support for the kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirls \u2014 a Twitter campaign that\u00a0turned against her<\/a>\u00a0in some ways when people began posting photos of children killed during drone strikes authorized by the administration. She has also waded into domestic battle with Republicans over her school lunch program. Just recently, she attacked conservative politicians for\u00a0\u201cplaying politics with our kids\u2019 health\u201d<\/em>\u00a0and attempting to\u00a0\u201coverride science.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n