Contra Costa Times, CA
11-27-07
Iowa, Oprah; Oprah, Iowa
Talk show host's name will be put to the test on the campaign trail for Obama
By John McCormick and Mike Dorning
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
LITTLETON, N.H. -- The most bankable name in American celebrity will test one of the more durable laws of presidential politics when she hits the campaign trail for the first time next month.
As Oprah Winfrey travels with Sen. Barack Obama to Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, the two are hoping that the one-woman media conglomerate's star power is so strong that she can do what other big-name endorsers rarely have -- namely to actually win him votes.
Monday's announcement that Winfrey will boost her involvement in the Illinois Democrat's presidential bid re-ignited a longstanding debate over the value of such campaign endorsements.
Does it matter if singer Bonnie Raitt endorses John Edwards, if actor Robert Duvall prefers Rudy Giuliani, or if pro wrestler Ric "Nature Boy" Flair and actor Chuck Norris are in Mike Huckabee's camp?
Most think the answer is no, but Winfrey, who jealously guards her brand identity, might be the exception. She helped raise $3 million for Obama in September, and her campaign appearances are certain to attract huge turnout and media coverage.
On the campaign trail in New Hampshire, Obama said Monday that he does not expect Winfrey's endorsement to translate into automatic support the way her book club recommendations have generated instant sales for authors.
"People are going to make the decision not based on who's endorsing," he said after a rally in this rural town. "Ultimately, I'm going to have to make the sale."
A USA Today/Gallup Poll in October found that just 8 percent of adults said Winfrey's backing made them more likely to support Obama, while 10 percent said it would actually make them less likely to support him.
Former Gov. Tom Vilsack, the top campaign official in Iowa for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign, was downplaying the significance even before Winfrey's visit became official.
"I'm not sure who watches her," he told the Washington Times over the weekend. "Maybe young moms, maybe people who are retired. But we have the support of most retired Democrats."
Those statements prompted Obama's campaign to gather and release ratings figures that suggested Winfrey's show is watched on average by 40,000 viewers in central Iowa each weekday, rivaling many prime-time shows.
"She's a rock star, and her ratings are rock solid," said Tommy Vietor, Obama's Iowa spokesman.
Diane Bystrom, director of the Center for Women and Politics at Iowa State University, said research has never shown that celebrity endorsements matter to voters. But, she said, joint appearances do bring other benefits in advance of the rapidly approaching Jan. 3 Iowa caucuses.
"It could entice voters who have not been paying attention to the campaign or who have not made up their mind," she said. "They could come to see Oprah, but leave after hearing Obama."
Winfrey will appear with Obama and his wife, Michelle, on Dec. 8-9.
Winfrey spokesperson Don Halcombe declined to comment on the appearances or whether they would be followed by any additional work for the campaign, such as television or radio advertisements.