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The International Journal of Press/Politics
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The Oprah Factor: The Effects of a Celebrity Endorsement in a Presidential Primary Campaign

Andrew Pease

Department of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, apease{at}uwm.edu

Paul R. Brewer

Department of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, prbrewer{at}uwm.edu

In 2007, popular daytime talk show host Oprah Winfrey endorsed Barack Obama, a candidate for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination. This study uses data from an experiment to examine the impact of news about her endorsement. Exposure to such news did not influence the extent to which participants held favorable opinions toward Obama or the extent to which they saw him as likable. On the other hand, reading about the endorsement did lead participants to see Obama as more likely to win the nomination and to say that they would be more likely to vote for him. These findings suggest that research on celebrity endorsements should consider not only effects on candidate support but also subtler effects, such as those on viability assessments.

Key Words: election campaign • voting behavior • public opinion • political perceptions • media effects

This version was published on October 1, 2008

The International Journal of Press/Politics, Vol. 13, No. 4, 386-400 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/1940161208321948
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