State of their unions: Candidates' marriages

Barack Obama and Michelle Robinson Obama
Married Since: 1992
Family Album: Two daughters

They met in 1989,while he was still a student at Harvard Law School (where he was the first black president of the prestigious Harvard Law Review). Barack was interning for a Chicago law firm, and Michelle was his summer supervisor. She later told a reporter that she fell for him “for the same reason many other people respect him: his connection with people.” Throughout his political career, she has been an asset. A Princeton grad, she’s a Chicago native from the city’s South Side. That association helped him win seats both in the Illinois legislature and the Senate. Now an executive at the University of Chicago Hospitals, she’s savvy in dual roles as career woman and political wife. In an interview in The New Yorker, she was frank about the stress of the latter role: “It’s hard, and that’s why Barack is such a grateful man.”

The Obamas live in a $1.6 million house on the South Side, and he tries to make it back every weekend. Family life is a priority, which is why they haven’t moved to Washington. “We made a good decision to stay in Chicago, so that has kept our family stable,” Michelle told a reporter for The Chicago Tribune. “There has been very little transition for me and the girls. Now he’s commuting a lot, but he’s the senator. He can handle it. That’s really helped in keeping us grounded.”

The tidbits of their private life that the public does get to see indicates a normal family. She’s on his case to stop smoking and do more around the house. He recently told Ebony magazine that he sometimes leaves his socks on the floor. “As Michelle likes to say, ‘You are a good man, but you are still a man.’ She lets me know when I’m not acting right.” But there are barriers to the public’s right to know all about them. When it comes to fidelity in marriage, Michelle told Ebony that she doesn’t worry about it. “That is between Barack and me,” she said, “and if somebody can come between us, we didn’t have much to begin with.”

Michelle still isn’t widely known outside of Illinois, but the current campaign will change that. “She would be far and away the most beautiful First Lady we have ever had,” says Real. And the marriage is a plus. “It’s coming across as quite solid,” he adds. “There’s a real love there.” Although Michelle is every bit as accomplished as Hillary was when her husband first ran for president, Michelle’s résumé (at least so far) appears to be an asset. “I think she will get better treatment—not because we are more accepting of a First Lady with a career but because she’s nicer, more feminine, more traditional as a woman,” says Love. “Plus they obviously love and respect one another.”

Although she’s untested in a grueling national campaign, Michelle promises to be a 21st century Jackie Kennedy, sophisticated and stylish, with an Ivy League education and a high-powered career.

Hillary Rodham Clinton and Bill Clinton
Married Since: 1975
Family Album: One daughter

Bill’s philandering was humiliation on a global scale—but there was an unexpected benefit: Hillary got the chance to fire up her own political ambition. “The country was most favorable toward Hillary when she was being victimized,” says Real. “Her difficulty is the public perception of her as an ice maiden. When she opened up, it rebalanced her and made her someone that you could feel something for.” In 2000, Clinton rode that wave of sympathy to the Senate. But if she captures the White House, will Bill be able to keep his own ego in check and become the supportive spouse a president needs?

Despite endless commentary from fans and foes, the Clinton union remains a tantalizing mystery. It’s hard to tell whether this is a marriage of passion, or simply a partnership based on political convenience. Both Clintons have said they have benefited from marital counseling, and Hillary has admitted to extensive soul-searching about her marriage. In her 2003 memoir, Living History, she wrote: “The most difficult decisions I have made in my life were to stay married to Bill and to run for the Senate from New York.” She hasn’t said much about the subject since then. Even longtime Clinton advisor James Carville, not shy with his opinions, refuses to dish. “It’s uranium-242,” he told The Washington Post. “You pick that stuff up and it’ll blow up in your face.”

But the couple earns kudos from marriage experts for sticking it out. “We know more about the Clintons than anybody—and the more I know about each of them, the more enthusiastic I am about what they have been able to do,” says Pittman. “I admire their ability to hold a marriage together.” Even if it is now only a marriage of convenience, the bond is powerful. “They shared a mission, ideals, and common knowledge,” says Madanes. “That’s what made it possible for her to overcome all that stupidity. They were best friends.”

Since leaving the White House, Bill, now 60, has survived major heart surgery—often a powerful incentive to rethink priorities. If Hillary wins the Clintons a do-over in the White House, he’ll be motivated to behave. “We have every reason to assume he has learned the function of a zipper,” says Pittman. “He’s a smart guy.”

On the plus side, Bill Clinton would be the most charismatic spouse since Jackie Kennedy, and could help soften his wife’s icy image. A poll last fall showed that his favorable rating was six points higher than hers. His political expertise will be invaluable, and he’ll certainly be uniquely sensitive to the demands of the job. Her campaign strategists insist he is an asset. And in her speeches, Hillary told The New York Times, she subtly invokes their relationship by saying things like “When Bill had his heart surgery,” or “Bill used to love Dunkin’ Donuts.” The message is clear: He may be offstage, but he’s waiting in the wings.

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