The News From My Eyes: Celebrities going crazy for primary candidates!

By Roger Lee

When Oprah Winfrey publicly announced that she would back Barack Obama in the 2008 primaries, other celebrities began endorsing their favorite candidates as well. The sudden increase in celebrity support may actually have an impact on this years primary election.

Natalie Wood, a marketing expert at St. Joseph’s University has done extensive research on celebrity endorsements. She feels that opinions from family and friends will carry more weight with young voters than celebrities. Professor David Jackson of Bowling Green State University feels that young voters will be influenced by celebrities. Through studies Jackson found that stars have the power to reinforce popular beliefs amongst young voters. However, Woods argues that celebrities can actually push young voters away from supporting a particular campaign.

In any case, stars have not stopped supporting their favorites in the upcoming primary. This star-studded support has been around since 1920 when a host of Broadway stars endorsed Republican Warren Harding’s presidential campaign. By the 1930’s, celebrity endorsements had become a common practice in America.

The stars of today are not shying away from their political pals either. Marla Maples, former Ms. Trump donated $2,000 to Hilary Clinton’s campaign while former Cincinnati mayor Jerry Springer gave more then just his two cents. “She is smart. I don’t mean just clever. I mean smart,” raved Springer who donated the maximum $4,6000. Even Willie Wonka’s Gene Wilder is getting in on the action. The actor made his first political financial backing with $2,3000 in support of Barack Obama.

Adult star Jenna Jameson is also getting involved. She is backing Hilary Clinton’s campaign for a number of reasons. “Hilary is pretty conservative for a democrat,” says Jameson. She adds that it would be nice to see a woman in office and a step in the right direction for our country. “There will be less focus on war and more on bettering society,” said Jameson.

But who can forget Oprah's support of the Obama campaign? For over two decades Oprah Winfrey has dominated the talk show circuit while becoming an actress, author, and entrepreneur extraordinaire. Her elite celebrity status makes people wonder whether her endorsing Obama will have the same powerful impact as her other endorsements. In a recent poll, 30 percent admit that Oprah will influence their vote. Out of those influenced, 15 percent said they would vote for Oprah’s choice and the other half said they would vote against it. The Democrats were pretty supportive of Winfrey’s endorsement with 23 percent admitting they would be more likely to vote for Oprah’s favorite candidate.

Oprah’s influence is further examined by Democrat Strategist Steve McMahon. In a FOX interview, McMahon says that Oprah has the potential to be influential in the 2008 primaries. He says that her strength lies in getting new people out to vote. Some are able to go out and collect the same voters who go to the same political events. However, Oprah can get fresh new faces that can really help Obama’s campaign reach new heights. --Rolee 23:58, 31 January 2008 (EST)