Barack Obama Among Oprah's Favorite Things

It's official. The talk show queen will soon be campaigning with Senator Barack Obama. Published reports listed in the Obama Campaign's blog say Oprah will be with the Democratic presidential candidate on stops in Iowa, South Carolina and New Hampshire. And the candidate's New Hampshire Headquarters has a "Save the Date" announcement on their homepage for a rally "With Senator Barack Obama and Special Guest Ms. Oprah Winfrey" in Manchester on December 9th.

Politicians and analysts across the U.S. are wondering what Oprah's influence will be -- not only as someone who has endorsed him, but as someone who now will be with him on the campaign trail. The popular talk show host has millions of viewers. When she reads a book and recommends it, or picks an item in her holiday list of Oprah's Favorite Things - they become best sellers. Now, she's putting her "favorite Senator", as she's called him on her show, in the spotlight.

Adding to her impact, while she's known for empowering and inspiring people and recommending books, she's not in the habit of making political endorsements. However, her support of Obama is no surprise. She held a fundraiser for him in California recently, but that was hardly the beginning.

There's a quote on Oprah.com from 2004, when she interviewed the Senator. At that time, she said, "I don't consider myself political and I seldom interview politicians. So when I decided to talk with you [Barack], people around me were like, 'What's happened to you?' I said, 'I think this is beyond and above politics.' It feels like something new."

He's also called her Favorite Senator on her website. The following sentence is from a section summing up an appearance he made on the Oprah Winfrey Show: "Senator Obama's not only one of Oprah's representatives in the United States Senate, she says he's also her favorite senator!"

In 2006, she spoke on CNN's Larry King Live. As you can see from the transcript, even before Obama announced that he's running for president, she said she hoped he would run, that he's her favorite Senator and that she would support him.

In another interview, on Larry King Live, which is posted on the Obama08 website, she tells King she's never endorsed a candidate before and explains a bit more about why she likes Obama. "I know him personally," she says, "I think that what he, you know, stands for what he has proven that he uh, can stand for what he's shown, was worth me going out on a limb for."

She also said she had no interest in running for public office herself. In that same interview on Larry King Live, she says that she has "great respect for Hillary Clinton" and she is not "against" Hillary or anyone else. She also told King that her money won't make a difference to Obama, but her support is "probably worth more than any check".