‘Oprah effect’ leaves Democrat voters cold

Despite the publicity surrounding Oprah Winfrey's endorsement of Barack Obama for Democratic presidential candidate, the talk show queen is having less impact on US voters than former president Bill Clinton, according to polls. And for some voters, Oprah's endorsement is even a hindrance to supporting Obama. A CBS News/New York Times poll of Democratic voters found that just one per cent of Americans said they might be swayed by the involvement of Winfrey, who campaigned for Obama in Iowa, South Carolina and New Hampshire last weekend.

Meanwhile, a Washington Post/ABC News poll confirmed that Hillary Clinton's biggest asset is her husband Bill. When her supporters were asked why they were backing the New York senator, topping the list of reasons was her husband, the former president. The poll also said that 10 per cent of Democrats are less likely to support Obama because of Winfrey's endorsement, beating the eight per cent who said it raised their interest in the Illinois senator.

Winfrey is most successful at reaching out to African Americans, especially African American women. Yet Hillary Clinton is outpacing Obama among female voters, 39 per cent to 27 per cent, and, overall, Clinton remains ahead of Obama, gaining two points since September. (Continued below)

Hedging her bets perhaps, Oprah Winfrey is now down-playing the power of her endorsement - her first ever of a political candidate. "I've always said this, that my being in support of Barack Obama is not my being against Hillary Clinton or anybody else," Winfrey said. "It's just that for this moment in time, this is what I know I am supposed to be doing. I feel compelled to do this. So my vote for is not a vote against anybody. It's just a vote for."