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 10:59:00 AM MT
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...
Candace Lee Chitty - 2007-22-9 13:10:00 -
Oprah's endorrsement hurts Obama, For someone that has never endorsed anyone in the past,...
Mike Melley - 2007-22-9 11:27:00 -
According to the survey, 15% said Oprah's endorsement would make them more likely to vote for...
Not my full name - 2007-22-9 07:21:00 -
This garbled opening paragraph reads like A) it was written by an ESL student -- who messes up...
Dusty in Dubai - 2007-21-9 17:50:00 -
why oh why does anybody care who oprah wants to be...
mary richter - 2007-21-9 15:31:00
