Barack Obama enlists Oprah Winfrey to woo voters


WASHINGTON - Illinois Sen. Barack Obama hopes that campaigning with media mogul Oprah Winfrey, who has empowered millions to improve their lives, will be the advantage that some observers say might help him win voters from rival Hillary Rodham Clinton in three key states with early presidential contests.

Winfrey will campaign with Obama in Des Moines and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Dec. 8, then visit Columbia, S.C., and Manchester, N.H., the next day, Obama's campaign announced yesterday.

Although endorsements generally do little to sway voter opinions on their own, political experts say Oprah's star power could attract potential voters who might not otherwise come to campaign rallies.


She helps him attract an audience - people who otherwise would not hear his message," said Drake University political scientist Dennis Goldford. "In a close race that could make a difference."

Another potential advantage of having Winfrey on the trail is that her popularity among women could be particularly appealing to that group of voters, a key constituency of Clinton's and a bedrock source of votes among Iowa Democrats.

"If it were just an endorsement, it would be nothing more than a 24-hour news story, but the fact that she will be out campaigning for him is significant," said Dianne Bystrom, director of the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics at the University of Iowa.

Winfrey, with 49 million weekly viewers in the United States alone, has helped make bestsellers out of books promoted on her show.

Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina states are critical to the fortunes of presidential hopefuls because Iowans will be the first to choose presidential nominees when they caucus Jan. 3, and New Hampshire holds its primary five days later. South Carolina, which has a large black population, holds its primary Jan. 26.

An Iowa win for Clinton could give her quest for the Democratic nomination an air of inevitability. A win for Obama would likely bring a flood of campaign contributions and political momentum.

Winfrey's campaign presence will generate additional buzz for an Obama campaign that, according to the latest ABC/Washington Post poll, has overtaken Clinton - the Democratic front-runner nationwide - by a narrow margin in Iowa.

That poll, conducted Nov. 14-18 showed Obama as the choice of 30 percent of voters, compared to Clinton's 26 percent. Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards had 22 percent, and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson had 11 percent.

A spokeswoman for Winfrey said the talk show host was an early supporter of the Illinois senator, but referred further inquiries to the Obama campaign. "This trip is about building on the momentum we have in the early states by reaching untapped voters, and building our base of volunteers and supporters for the final stretch to the nomination," said Obama spokesman Jen Psaki.

Clinton spokesman Blake Zeff, without mentioning Winfrey by name, said, "Everyone has wonderful supporters ... but at the end of the day voters will determine which candidate has the strength and experience to make change happen on day one."

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING

Legis. Jon Cooper

(D-Lloyd Harbor)

Member of Obama's campaign



"It's not going to make or break the campaign. Only Barack can do that. Certainly Oprah's support is, I believe, going to be quite helpful, particularly in outreach to female voters. If she [appears] on the campaign trail, that can only help. ... But then it's up to Barack and the Obama campaign to get the message out."






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