Americans choose a Most Admired Woman, and this time it’s not Hillary Clinton
Americans have chosen Michelle Obama as the Most Admired Woman in 2018, a new Gallup poll reveals. She knocks another former first lady, Hillary Clinton, out of the top spot for the first time in 17 years.
Keeping it in the family, former President Barack Obama was named Most Admired Man for the 11th consecutive year. He is now one year short of a record run at the top, according to Gallup.
President Donald Trump came in second to Obama for the Most Admired Man title for a fourth straight year, Gallup says.
“The year 2018 brought about a change at the top of Gallup’s Most Admired Woman list for the first time in 17 years, with Hillary Clinton falling back now that she has more fully retreated to private life after a long career as first lady, U.S. senator, secretary of state and two-time presidential candidate,” Gallup says.
“Michelle Obama stepped into that void as she has authored a best-selling autobiography and is promoting it with a major tour of large U.S. arenas.”
Gallup says Michelle Obama “won by a significant margin this year.” She bested Oprah Winfrey, who came in second, Clinton and Melania Trump, who came in fourth.
People who took the poll were asked to name the woman they admire most, anywhere in the world, and 15 percent chose Obama, CNN reported.
Clinton had a long reign at the top of the poll — 22 times named the Most Admired Woman, more than anyone else, man or woman, according to CNN.
Rounding out the women’s Top 10, “Queen Elizabeth, who placed in the top 10 for a record 50th time. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, human rights activist Malala Yousafzai and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi are the other top 10 finishers this year,” Gallup writes.
Barack Obama could tie former President Dwight D. Eisenhower for the most number of Most Admired Man finishes “if he earns the title in 2019,” says Gallup.
“Meanwhile, Trump probably has at least two more chances to finish first while president and avoid becoming just the second president never to have gotten the distinction.
“His doing so depends on having decent job approval ratings and the lack of a credible Democratic figure to vie with him for the honor, neither of which has been the case during Trump’s first two years in office.”
The annual survey was conducted Dec. 3-12, Gallup says.
This story was originally published December 27, 2018 at 9:51 AM.