Study: Oprah-Generated Buzz Helping Obama
Pew Research Center Finds More Respondents Have Heard About Obama Recently than Clinton
By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 12/13/2007 8:50:00 AM MT
Sen. Barack Obama's (D-Ill.) surge in the polls against front-runner Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) is likely due, at least in part, to the buzz he has been getting from his appearances with talk-show diva Oprah Winfrey.
That's according to a Pew Research Center study that found that 26% of respondents said they had heard more about Obama recently than any other candidate, up from 10% who said that last month.
At the same time, Clinton's percentage in that category fell from 61% to 41%.
Among African-American respondents, 51% said Obama was the candidate they had heard most about recently compared with 27% for Clinton. In November, the numbers were 50% for Clinton and only 15% for Obama.
The Pew researchers concluded it was linked to the Oprah endorsement and appearances, which have been getting big play in the press, citing a finding that 74% of all respondents could identify Obama as Oprah's choice.
Still, there is no guarantee that will translate to votes. An earlier Pew study found that celebrity endorsements like Oprah's are essentially a wash.
