Failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton no longer holds the title of the most admired woman in America, a status she has retained for 17 years. Now, it’s former First Lady Michelle Obama’s turn.
According to Gallup, Michelle Obama, after finishing second to Hillary no more than three times, earned the top slot for most admired woman in 2018, followed closely by Oprah Winfrey. Both Hillary Clinton and First Lady Melania Trump were in third place. The annual Gallup question, which asks Americans to name the man and woman whom they most admire, has been ongoing since 1946.
“Also among the top 10 most admired women this year is Queen Elizabeth, who placed in the top 10 for a record 50th time,” reports Gallup. “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.”
Oprah Winfrey and Hillary Clinton have long been finishers in the top 10 of most admired women; the former made her 31st appearance on the list this year while the latter made her 27th. Winfrey has never been number one but has placed second no less than 14 times.
“Clinton has finished first 22 times — more than any other man or woman — including in 1993 and 1994, 1997 through 2000, and 2002 through 2017,” reports Gallup. “Clinton has finished second on three occasions, third once (this year) and fourth once (in 1992).”
On the male side, former President Barack Obama has earned the title of most admired man for the 11th year in a row. He is trailed closely by President Trump at number two. Gallup noted that President Trump’s second-place status is rather significant for an incumbent president:
This year marks only the 13th time in 72 measurements the incumbent president did not win. Usually, the president does not win when he has subpar job approval ratings, as is the case with Trump. Trump and Gerald Ford are the two presidents to date who did not win the honor while in office. Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger finished first in 1974 and 1975 after Ford replaced Richard Nixon as president, and the question was not asked in Ford’s final year in office in 1976.
The top 10 most admired men this year include former President George W. Bush, Pope Francis, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, former President Bill Clinton, the Dalai Lama, former Vice President Joe Biden, Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Vice President Mike Pence.
Both Sen. John McCain and Rev. Billy Graham are absent from this year’s list due to their recent passing. McCain placed in the top 10 six times while Graham holds the record for most top 10 finishes by any man or woman. From 1955 to 2017, the late pastor stood in the top 10 of most admired men no more than 61 times.
“Ronald Reagan has the second most top 10 finishes behind Graham, with 31, followed by Jimmy Carter (28), Pope John Paul II (27) and Bill Clinton, whose appearance this year is his 26th,” notes Gallup. “Clinton did not finish among the top 10 in 2017, but did so every year between 1992 and 2016.”