After Oprah Winfrey lured more than 65,000 people to political rallies for Democratic candidate Barack Obama over the weekend, his campaign went into overdrive to convert those fans into primary votes. It’s a strategy that just might work, political analysts say.
The people who went to the rallies in Iowa, South Carolina and New Hampshire often drove for hours and stood in line even longer to get a glimpse of the daytime talk-show queen.
Her appearances, coupled with high-energy speeches by Obama, created the kind of excitement more commonly seen at rock concerts.
In exchange for free tickets to the events, the campaign earned the volunteer help of thousands of people and, perhaps more important, their phone numbers and addresses.
“As long as it wasn’t just a rock concert but was used as an organizing tool, it will be effective,” said a Democratic strategist.
Winfrey attracted a crowd of nearly 20,000 to a rally in Des Moines, Iowa, despite bad weather.
“That’s a sixth of all potential caucus-goers, in that hall,” said Simon Rosenberg, a Democratic consultant who worked on Bill Clinton’s presidential campaigns. “It’s an extraordinary number, and this created incredible buzz.”
Of the 29,000 who attended a rally in South Carolina, 68 percent had no previous contact with the Obama campaign, his staff said.
“Oprah Winfrey has the star power to attract crowds, and when you look at undecided voters, and there are a lot of them, the more you can bring them in, the more you can win their support,” said another Democratic strategist.
Winfrey’s support for Obama poses a direct threat to Hillary Clinton, who has a commanding lead over Obama among female voters.
George Washington University political professor John Sides said Winfrey’s popularity among women could pull them “away from the Clinton camp and … into the Obama camp.”
Another top Democratic strategist said he expects Winfrey’s participation to “put a ding” in Clinton’s female following and increase the intensity and the commitment of Obama’s supporters.
“To the extent that your supporters are particularly fervent and more committed to spending hours in the cold during the caucus, you are perhaps more likely to win,” agreed Sides. “Candidates are paying attention to numbers, but they are also paying attention to intensity.”
