Winfrey put Obama's name in a favorable spotlight

[babylonsister]

Winfrey put Obama's name in a favorable spotlight

by Mark Silva

The Oprah Winfrey tour for the Barack Obama campaign has generated more than Box Office excitement. It has boosted the Illinois senator's visibility at a crucial stage of the 2008 presidential nominating caucus and primary election campaign.

Roughly one quarter of those surveyed by the Pew Research Center -- 26 percent -- say they have heard more about Obama recently than about any other presidential candidate. That was up from 10 percent saying so in October.

Meanwhile, Pew reports, while Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York remains "the most visible candidate overall,'' the proportion of people surveyed citing her as the candidate they have heard the most about fell from a high of 61 percent in November to 41 percent in the latest poll.

"Obama’s increased visibility is no doubt linked to his campaign appearances with Winfrey,'' Pew President Andrew Kohut reports. "Fully 74 percent of the public could correctly identify Obama as the candidate Oprah had endorsed.

"Most Americans view Winfrey’s support for Obama as a plus for his campaign: 60 percent say her support will help his candidacy, only 1 percent thinks it will hurt his candidacy, and 31 percent say it will not make any difference,'' Kohut adds.

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