Oprah's Obama Endorsement a Wash, Say Voters
Pew Research Center for the People and the Press Examines Effects of Celebrity Endorsements
By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 9/20/2007 12:59:00 PM
The endorsement of stars like Oprah Winfrey, Jon Stewart or even Tiger Woods would not translate to any more votes and -- somewhat curiously in the case of Stewart, Woods and several others -- could actually hurt their chances.
That's according to a telephone survey of more than 1,000 people by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press.
Respondents said Oprah's endorsement of Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) -- she has stumped and raised funds for him -- will have essentially no effect on getting their vote, but they still think it could help his run for the White House.
According to the survey, 15% said Oprah's endorsement would make them more likely to vote for Obama, while the same 15% said it would make them less likely and 69% said it would make no difference. That is down from a 2000 poll that found that 14% said her endorsement would make them more likely to vote for a candidate and 11% less likely.
But 60% still said they thought Oprah's support would help his overall candidacy, while only 3% said it would hurt, although how that squares with the vote results is not clear.
There was a clear split along party with an Oprah endorsement, however, with 23% of Democrats saying her endorsement of a candidate (not necessarily Obama) would make them more likely to vote for that candidate, while only 13% said it would make them less likely. It was reversed for Republicans, with 10% saying it would help and 22% hurt.
But Oprah's was actually the best result for star endorsers.
Asked whether the endorsement of Jay Leno would help or hurt, only 6% said it would make them more likely to vote for them, while 16% said it would make them less likely, with the rest saying it made no difference.
Bill O'Reilly's support would make 11% more likely but 21% less likely; Woods 6% more likely but 13% less likely; and Stewart 10% more likely but 15% less likely.
The highest negatives among the TV stars (which Woods definitely is if you check NBC's golf ratings last week) was Donald Trump, with 5% saying it would help and 20% saying it would hurt.
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If it's true that Oprah hasn't voted in Presidential elections in years, and now all of a sudden she's going to vote for Obama, to my way of thinking, that's an indication of racism. I have no doubt that she's voting for Obama because he's black and no other reason.
Candace Lee Chitty - 9/22/2007 3:10:00 PM EDT -
Oprah's endorrsement hurts Obama, For someone that has never endorsed anyone in the past, decides to do it for the next election, you have to wonder why? I have to agree, Obama appears to be an ok guy. But he's no Abe Lincoln, or JFK. Her endorsement is about race, it's that simple. So why would anyone be influenced by her selection? I'm going to vote for someone based on their qulifications, the color of their skin doesn't matter, and shouldn't.
Mike Melley - 9/22/2007 1:27:00 PM EDT -
According to the survey, 15% said Oprah's endorsement would make them more likely to vote for Obama, while the same 15% said it would make them less likely
Actually it is not the same 15%, it's a different 15%.
Not my full name - 9/22/2007 9:21:00 AM EDT -
This garbled opening paragraph reads like A) it was written by an ESL student -- who messes up her prepositions; B) written when tired; or C) the writer was brought up in another country and isn't sensitive to prepositions. Where are the editors? Let's stop tolerating these mistakes in written communication before they lead to disasters.
Dusty in Dubai - 9/21/2007 7:50:00 PM EDT -
why oh why does anybody care who oprah wants to be president?
mary richter - 9/21/2007 5:31:00 PM EDT
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