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Bush and Clinton tie for most admired FLOTUS

Former First Ladies Barbara Bush and Hillary Clinton are tied for America's most admired, according to a new NBC/WSJ poll.
From left US first lady Michelle Obama, stands with former first ladies Laura Bush, Hillary Clinton, Barbara Bush and Rosalynn Carter as they arrive for a dedication ceremony at the George W. Bush Library and Museum, April 25, 2013 in Dallas, Texas.
From left US first lady Michelle Obama, stands with former first ladies Laura Bush, Hillary Clinton, Barbara Bush and Rosalynn Carter as they arrive for a dedication ceremony at the George W. Bush Library and Museum, April 25, 2013 in Dallas, Texas.

It's still too early to know how a Bush-Clinton 2016 match up would go, but when it comes to the most popular First Lady we already have the results: It's a tie. 

Barbara Bush and Hillary Clinton each earned support from 27% of respondents in a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll asking Americans to name the first lady they most admire. Current First Lady Michelle Obama came a close third with 24% of the vote, while her predecessor Laura Bush came in fourth with 17%. 

Perhaps unsurprisingly, there is a a split among partisan groups. Democrats are more likely to name Michelle Obama or Hillary Clinton, and have a slight preference for the current first lady (42%) over the possible 2016 presidential candidate (39%). Republicans are more likely to name a Bush, with 45% naming Barbara Bush as their favorite and Laura Bush winning 36% of the vote. 

Among independents, Barbara Bush and Clinton are nearly tied again 28% to 27%. 

African-American respondents were more likely to name Obama as their most admired first lady, choosing her over Clinton by a 28-point margin. Clinton takes the top spot among Latinos, with 45% naming her over Obama at 29%. Whites were more likely to name Barbara Bush (33%), followed by Clinton at 24%, Laura Bush at 21%, and Obama at 18%.