Meghan Markle is currently in the joint top place among Democrats if the party picks a woman as its candidate for the 2023 presidential election, new polling suggests.
A poll by the Washington-based Democracy Institute of Democratic voters found that 25 per cent said the Duchess of Sussex would be best for the job out of a list of potential female runners.
The former Suits star, who now lives in California after stepping down from the Royal Family in 2020, came in joint first place alongside Vice President Kamala Harris, also on 25 percent.
Hilary Clinton, who lost the US election to Donald Trump in 2016, was next with 22 per cent in the survey of 555 Democrats carried out between May 24 and May 26, the Express reports.
An additional 18 per cent backed congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, while six percent voted for Senator Elizabeth Warren. Four percent voted for the other option or were not sure.
Democracy Institute director Patrick Basham told the Daily Express US there is "still an appetite" for Meghan to become the Democratic candidate.
He said: "It's a testament to two things. One is that the fact that [sic] the choices that the Democrats have are not great.
"They probably would go for a female candidate if Biden wasn't in the picture."
Mr Basham added that he doesn't think Ms Harris could win an election but is likely to be selected as the Democrats' "core support is among black women".
In terms of Ms Clinton, he argued that she "isn't as popular as she was, although she's still would be an influential" and in the case of Ms Ocasio-Cortez, he said she "does not appear to be an obvious successor" before adding that Ms Warren's "day has probably come and gone".
Mr Basham went on: "So if you're looking around and you're a Democrat and you want to woman or you have given the choice of which woman would you prefer he you've got this, the identical candidate, this biracial, woke, young, attractive, telegenic celebrity who doesn't have a political track record that can be taken apart at.
"If you like the identity politics, if you like the victimhood card being played, you think we actually need more of that. And many on the Democratic left do.
"Then you say, 'OK, well, why not her?' Because they're thinking to themselves 'Who would give us the best chance against Trump or whomever?'
"And, of course, Trump played the same card: 'Try something different. We keep losing on the Republican side. We keep losing'.
"Have someone who's not in politics, who's from outside the system and Meghan is the one who would fit that, you know, fit that mold as well on that side."
The news comes amid ongoing speculation regarding Meghan's political ambitions.
Mr Biden's sister Valerie Biden Owens invited the Duchess to join the Democrats last year as she said Meghan would make a “good presidential candidate”.
Meanwhile, Omid Scobie, co-author of the Finding freedom biography about the Sussexes, previously claimed: “Meghan is the embodiment of the American dream. One day we may see Meghan become president.”
Regardless of this, the Duchess has never publicly confirmed any personal aspirations to enter the political world or run for office.
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