Michelle Obama leaps into the lead of most admired women in U.S. poll

Last updated on January 2nd, 2019 at 05:59 am

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By Jason Fields

WASHINGTON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Hillary Clinton has lost her top spot among the women most admired by people in the United States after 17 years to Michelle Obama, according to a new poll by Gallup.

Obama, whose recently published autobiography, “Becoming”, is a bestseller, was the choice of 15 percent of 1,025 people surveyed, up from 7 percent in 2017.

As first lady she took on a number of causes including an effort to fight obesity among children in the United States, calling for healthy eating and exercise.

She has also been a staunch advocate for women’s rights, both in and out of the White House.

Earlier this year, Obama was named the world’s second-most admired woman, behind Angelina Jolie, in a YouGov poll.

Clinton, a former secretary of state and first lady who lost the 2016 presidential election, was now number three on the list published on Thursday, behind entertainment mogul Oprah Winfrey.

On the men’s side, Michelle’s husband, former President Barack Obama, came in first.

Others who made the list include Melania Trump with 4 percent – the same as Hillary Clinton; Queen Elizabeth and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, both with 2 percent.

(Reporting By Jason Fields; Editing by Claire Cozens. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women’s and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, property rights and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org)