Whom Celebrities are Endorsing in the 2008 Presidential Race
It's no secret that Oprah Winfrey has supported Barak Obama's bid for the Democratic nomination for quite some time now. Oprah is considered one of the most influential people in America and her televised support has catapulted many individuals into nationwide popularity, including Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz. Does her support extend into the political realm enough to send Obama to the White House? After all, she has already made Obama a household name. In the upcoming weeks she will be hitting the campaign trail with Obama, lending her support in Iowa and several other key states. Obama is also supported in Hollywood by Jennifer Aniston, Will Smith, and George Clooney.
Chuck Norris has recently cast his support for Republican Mike Huckabee, turning a relatively little known candidate into a contender for front runner. Yahoo reports that in the week since Norris announced his support, searches for Huckabee have risen 457%. Ric Flair, of professional wrestling fame, has also announced his support for Huckabee.
Barbara Streisand has cast her support for Hillary Clinton (though interestingly she has also donated financially to Obama's campaign). She joins fellow singers Madonna, Janet Jackson, Barry Manilow, and Merle Haggard in her support for the former first lady. A whole group of actors also have given her their support. Clinton is not without her support in the talk show realm; Rosie O'Donnel and Jerry Springer have both cast their support for Clinton. Of course, Clinton has the support of her husband, former president Bill Clinton.
Republican Candidate Rudy Giuliani is supported by Steve Forbes CEO of Forbes and editor in chief of Forbes Magazine. He is also supported by Pat Robertson, founder of Christian Broadcasting Network. Actor Kelsey Grammer has donated to his campaign.
Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Browne recently toured Iowa with democratic contender John Edwards, holding a series of concerts in his support. Raitt and Browne are both historically active politically and both say that Edwards convictions match theirs the most closely.
9/11 Commission co-chair Tom Kean has cast his support for GOP candidate John McCain as has Charles Schwab, founder of the investment firm of the same name.
Published by Michelle S
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22 Comments
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Thanks for listing which stars are backing Obama. Now I know what films to boycott
The part about Chuck Norris made me laugh. :)
It's scary to see how much power celebs wield. What are their political qualifications? For the most part, they know nothing more than the rest of us, yet, there are those who will follow blindly.{{shudder}} Interesting topic!
I'm not sure most people would choose their vote based on a celebrity endorsement, but it does generate a ton of publicity (and money as some people have pointed out here). That (and other) publicity is improving Obama's polling right now since people have a better sense of who he was. Further, I think Oprah is a different sort of celebrity than Chuck Norris in that she is considered to be thoughtful (book club) and stands behind -- and defends -- good causes. This gives her a certain amount of credibility that will encourage folks to look a second time at Obama, regardless of whether they vote for him or not.
Good article. Unfortunately, none of these celebs mean anything to me. Celebrity status is meaningless. Who do Britney & Paris favor? It would mean as much.
;-) great article :-)
Oprah does have a voice in my ear definitely. That voice says, "run, don't walk in the opposite direction." It troubles me that people treat her like a god, and she is using that power to unilaterally decide who will be the Democrat nominee and perhaps the president. I also do not care for people who do charitable works and then publicize them. The Bible says to do your good works in secret. Whoever Oprah recommends, I will vote for someone else.
Obama just raised a reported $1.3M in Hollywood, much from Bill Clinton's former "Lincoln's Bedroom" contributors.
I think it helps raise money in Hollywood circles of course.