New York: Popular talk show host Oprah Winfrey is set to campaign in support of Barack Obama, the Democrat hopeful for the 2008 US presidential election, and may be able to cut into his rival Hillary Clinton's women support base.
While Winfrey announced her support for Obama in May -- her first foray in politics -- it was only on Monday that she revealed that she would campaign alongside him on Dec 8 in Iowa, the crucial first state that kicks off the nominating process on Jan 3. Obama will then take Winfrey to the other key early battlegrounds of New Hampshire and South Carolina.
Obama, who trails Clinton by a wide margin among women voters in national opinion polls, has suggested that Winfrey's support "means that I may get a hearing in certain quarters".
He is cautious that Winfrey's endorsement may not automatically translate into votes in the same way her "book club" recommendations generate sales for authors. "Ultimately I'm going to have to make the sale," he said.
Nonetheless, Obama's campaign is ready to unveil "Women for Obama Leadership Committees" in a clutch of states holding primary elections on Feb 5, which may decide who wins the Democratic Party's nomination.
Obama's campaign managers believe that he can win support from cautious female voters worried that Clinton is unelectable after a new poll suggested she trails the top five Republican presidential candidates in head-to-head match-ups.
Oprah's influence on the general American public - predominantly women - is courtesy her massive media platform, which includes "The Oprah Winfrey Show" that reaches 8.4 million television viewers each weekday, and "O, The Oprah Magazine" with a circulation of two million.
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