On Sunday, longtime Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin joined her husband, former U.S. Representative and current New York City mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner, at several meet-and-greet events in Harlem and Staten Island. While this marked Abedin’s first appearance on the campaign trail, what drew the most attention was her choice of attire: a red-and-white checkered ASOS dress, first worn by Michelle Obama in August 2012 while campaigning with her husband in Iowa. A photo of President Obama hugging his wife in the dress was widely seen and shared on social media.
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President Barack Obama arrives at a campaign event with First Lady Michelle Obama August 15, 2012 in Dubuque, Iowa.
It would be surprising if Abedin—also a Democrat, along with her husband—was not aware that her dress was a rerun. Was this a calculated move to evoke some of the closeness that the First Couple share? Weiner resigned from office in 2011 after sexts he exchanged with several women on Twitter publicly surfaced; Abedin, who was pregnant at the time, stood by his side. After maintaining a low profile in the aftermath, the couple have gradually edged back into the spotlight as Weiner announced his mayoral campaign in May 2013.
Of course, there are worse people to take a page from in the style department than Mrs. Obama. And it remains unclear just how often Abedin will join Weiner as he campaigns. Still, the couple will take all the positive associations they can get as they try to present a warm and united front to city voters.
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