She’s universally recognized, enormously popular and, as one entertainment Web site put it, “has more power over women than George Clooney.” But is Oprah Winfrey influential enough to help Barack Obama close the widening gender gap with Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton?
Most of those working in the campaign trenches say Winfrey, who will begin stumping for Obama next month in Iowa, won’t change the outcome of the primaries, but they agree that the television talk show host will prompt women to give Obama a closer look.
“This is unprecedented,” said University of Maryland political science professor Karen Kaufmann, who studies gender and voting. “We’ve not had a celebrity with this amount of stature with women endorsea candidate.”
Winfrey’s support could not have come at a better time for Obama, who desperately needs to attract more female voters. Clinton has consistently polled far ahead of Obama among women, including blacks, across the country.
Winfrey is scheduled to make two campaign stops for Obama in Iowa on Dec. 8 and will appear in South Carolina and New Hampshire the following day.
According to Gallup, Winfrey is one of the most recognized people in the country and typically receives favorability ratings in the 70-percent range — higher than any other politician or celebrity. Her daytime talk show book club has propelled numerous authors onto The New York Times best-seller list.
But Winfrey’s star status might not sell in Iowa and New Hampshire, states whose upcoming primaries are critical to the survival of Obama’s candidacy.
Ray Buckley, chairman of the New Hampshire Democratic Party, said Obama has been attracting large crowds in his state without the help of a major celebrity endorsement.
“We’re New Hampshire Yankees up here,” said Buckley. “We’re a little more interested in someone’s position on the environment rather than which celebrity is supporting them or not.”
An October Gallup poll found most people indifferent to Winfrey’s endorsement of Obama, with 81 percent saying it would not influence their vote.
“Could Obama win this race? Yes he could,” Democratic pollster Mark Mellman said. “But will Oprah have determined the outcome? I think that is very unlikely.”
Clinton’s Midwest campaign co-chairman, Jerry Crawford, dismissed the notion that Winfrey could swing Iowa to Obama. He pointed to the 2004 Iowa Caucus, when Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin threw his support behind Howard Dean, who ultimately lost to Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass.
“Harkin is beloved and well-known by Iowa Democrats,” Crawford said. “I don’t think Oprah will be able to do something Tom Harkin was not able to do.”
