Presidential Election

An Obama Endorsement Will Change The Race (If It Happens)

Presidents are known for holding off on endorsing candidates until late in the primary season.

An Obama Endorsement Will Change The Race (If It Happens)
Getty Images / Win McNamee
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"I will have a vote like everybody else as a citizen, and that ballot's private. I don't have to share my views about that right now because I think it's important for the American people to make their own decision," President Obama said in a press conference Friday.

There's been plenty of coverage on when or if President Obama will endorse anyone vying for his job, and he's continued to be, at the very least, coy about the subject for months. 

"Hillary Clinton or Joe Biden?" asked Savannah Guthrie.

"Love 'em both. Good try," Obama said in a "Today" interview

But it's not uncommon for presidents to hold off on backing a successor at the beginning of the primary process.

President George W. Bush didn't endorse Sen. John McCain until March, and President Reagan didn't even endorse his own vice president until May of election year. 

No matter when it's done, a presidential endorsement helps a front-runner clinch the nomination. 

Despite McCain's efforts to distance himself from President Bush, the endorsement helped McCain shore up support from conservative Republicans, most of whom were backing other candidates during the primary. (Video via C-SPAN

And in Bush 41's case, it took less than a week for televangelist Pat Robertson to drop out after President Reagan threw his support behind his veep. (Video via George Bush Presidential Library & Museum

But a President Obama endorsement could be a harder one to come by at all this election. If Vice President Joe Biden joins the race, Obama will be stuck between two figureheads from his administration. (Video via The White House

This video includes images from Getty Images.