People have joked about former first lady Michelle Obama taking office as a political figure after leaving the White House, and presidential Democrat frontrunner Joe Biden seems to share those same sentiments.

Biden told KDKA on Monday that he wishes Obama was interested in politics because he would choose her as his running mate "in a heartbeat."

“I’d take her in a heartbeat. She’s brilliant. She knows the way around. She is a really fine woman. I don’t think she has any desire to live near the White House again,” Biden told reporter Jon Delano in an online interview. 

Over the years, Obama has repeatedly denied any interest in getting involved in electoral politics after eight years in the White House. Instead, she has shifted her focus to voting efforts, philanthropy and writing. In her best-selling 2018 memoir Becoming, she wrote, “I’ll say it here directly: I have no intention of running for office, ever.”

During an event in Orlando in 2017, she spoke candidly about why she never wanted to go back into politics despite her rock-star status and near-universal appeal among Americans.

"It's all well and good until you start running, and then the knives come out. Politics is tough, and it's hard on a family…I wouldn't ask my children to do this again because, when you run for higher office, it's not just you, it's your whole family. Plus, there's just so much more we can do outside of the office because we won't have the burden of political baggage," she said during a Q&A session at the American Institute of Architects’ annual conference, according to The Orlando Sentinel.

The year before, she made similar comments to Oprah Winfrey, telling her flatly, "No," when asked if she would ever run.

"Look, that’s one thing I don’t do: I don’t make stuff up. I’m not coy…I’m pretty direct. If I were interested in it, I’d say it. I don’t believe in playing games. People don’t really understand how hard this is, and it’s not something that you cavalierly just sort of ask a family to do again. Let me just tell America: This is hard. It’s a hard job. I said on the campaign trail. It requires a lot of sacrifice. It is a weighty thing. And it’s not something that you even look to one family to take on at that level, for that long period of time," she told Winfrey during a White House interview.  

In other interviews, Obama has added that the toll of the position on her kids is too much to bear more than once. Despite her repeated denials, she continues to be mentioned within the Democratic Party as a candidate for a number of positions.

In 2017, Obama left the White House with a 68% approval rating nationwide, higher than her husband, former President Barack Obama. Her popularity has only gotten bigger since leaving Washington.

A recent story from NPR cited comments from Republican pollsters that said Obama was still a hit within the political party in spite of their dislike of her husband.

"Michelle Obama is one of the most popular women in the country. Every first lady or former first lady has a partisan aspect to their popularity. But Michelle Obama is actually fairly popular among Republican women," Republican pollster Christine Matthews told NPR.

In a global YouGov poll last year, Obama was named the world's most admired woman.

Politico ran a lengthy feature on Monday citing dozens of Democratic Party sources who were eager for Obama to either join Biden's ticket or lend her support to his candidacy. 

“When former Vice President Biden said he would choose a woman, she’s considered by most Americans of all races and all economic backgrounds to be the ultimate woman. Look at her book sales. It’s the first time I’ve seen someone write a book that can fill arenas," Rev. Al Sharpton told Politico.

"She has packed more arenas than Donald Trump. I asked her when I last saw her and she seemed emphatic that she was not going to do it. I doubt if she does it,” Sharpton added.

Biden has faced pressure to choose a woman as his running mate. In an interview with KDKA, he said he was mulling his options, which include Senators Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris as well as popular Georgia politician Stacey Abrams and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, according to CNN.

“In terms of who to pick, we’re just beginning the process,” Biden told KDKA.

“We’ll shortly name the committee to review this and begin to look through the backgrounds of the various potential nominees. And that’s just getting underway. I think it’s really important now that we establish once and for all, we should have had a woman president already, in Hillary [Clinton], in my view. There are a number of qualified women out there,” Biden said.