Democrats, worried that Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., could capture their presidential nomination, are urging former President Barack Obama to get involved and unify the party.
The New York Times reported Thursday that party officials want Obama to broker a truce among the moderate candidates seeking the nomination or between the Sanders and establishment wings.
And one member of the Democratic National Committee, William Owens from Tennessee, is even suggesting that former first lady Michelle Obama be nominated for vice president in order to give the party someone they could all rally around.
"She's the only person I can think of who can unify the party and help us win," Owens said. "This election is about saving the American experiment as a republic. It's also about saving the world. This is not an ordinary election."
But the newspaper noted that those close to Barack Obama say he has no intention of getting involved in the process during the primaries.
The Times reported that Democratic establishment leaders are worried about Sanders and are willing to risk intraparty damage to stop his nomination at the July convention. Some Democrats have even called Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and suggested he could emerge as a nominee in a brokered convention.
Meanwhile, attorneys for Obama are sending a cease-and-desist letter demanding that South Carolina broadcast stations stop airing a misleading ad from a pro-President Donald Trump super PAC that makes it sound like Obama is criticizing his former Vice President Joe Biden.