Our next question is, what role(s) should Bill Clinton play as a First Gentleman? Respondents to the Gallup survey were asked whether or not Bill Clinton “should” or “should not” take on any of eight different roles as a First Gentleman. Figure 6 shows these survey items divided into three categories based on whether they involved traditionally “symbolic” activities carried out by First Ladies in the past, “active political” duties that would clearly identify the First Gentleman’s politics, or “mixed” activities that are both symbolic and active. One thing appears certain: The public is more supportive of Bill Clinton playing a traditional symbolic role than an active political role as First Gentleman. The response distributions in the figure show a clear pattern in the percentages from top to bottom: The more active the role, the less respondents believed Bill Clinton should take it on. This pattern is, for the most part, consistent across political party affiliation.

The consensus in February was that if Bill Clinton becomes the First Gentleman, he should live in the White House and focus attention on humanitarian and charitable causes. Strong majorities also approved of his serving as a host for White House social events, acting as an official representative of the White House in other countries, and actively campaigning for Democratic candidates. Not surprisingly, the public was less supportive of Bill Clinton’s making paid speeches to business and industry groups and serving as an official government policy adviser. These lower numbers may be due to fears of corruption or negative influence on the White House.

Overall, the public was most supportive of Bill Clinton serving traditionally symbolic roles and an active role related to his political party. As of now, there are no signs that the former president would actually take on any special roles as a First Gentleman, nor would he take an overly active role in politics. However, as many Americans expect, the presidency is typically a team, and Bill Clinton is expected to play his role.

In summary, the prospects of a female president and male First Gentleman are seen as relatively positive, at least among Democrats nationwide. While such optimism may or may not translate into more votes for Hillary Clinton in the various Democratic primaries, it does appear to matter overall. This may explain her relatively large lead in national polls, but smaller margins in state-level polls such as Iowa and New Hampshire. As the Democratic National Convention nears and the primaries go into full swing, the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign team will have to make important decisions about just how to use and frame Bill Clinton as both a political endorser and potential First Gentleman. The results from the Gallup data suggest they should stick to the script of previous First Ladies, and let the (potential) president wear the pants.

David C. Wilson is an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at the University of Delaware.