Obama supporter Oprah takes a big dive

By COSTAS PANAGOPOULOS
4/7/08

Much hay was made nearly a year ago when Oprah Winfrey announced that she would support — and campaign for — Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama. Her effect in boosting support for Obama in early primary and caucus states like Iowa (which he won), New Hampshire (which he lost) and even South Carolina (which he won) is debatable.

After all, according to a national survey of Democrats conducted in December 2007 by ABC News and The Washington Post, 82 percent of respondents claimed Oprah’s endorsement would make no difference in their vote, while 8 percent said it would make them more likely to vote for Obama and 10 percent indicated it would make them less likely to do so.

But what has received far less attention is the impact Oprah’s endorsement has had on her own popularity. Long considered the “queen of daytime TV,” Oprah Winfrey has enjoyed sky-high popularity as a media personality for two decades. “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” launched in September 1986, is currently the longest-running daytime program on television and is the highest-rated talk show in American television history. the rest image