Oprah to Campaign for Obama

Barack Obama is bringing a little starpower to Iowa:

MANCHESTER, N.H.—Oprah Winfrey is poised to campaign for White House hopeful Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) in Iowa and New Hampshire, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned.

Obama made the disclosure while working a crowd at Central High School here, after delivering an education policy speech. A man, Ralph Hoagland, asked Obama—who was mingling and shaking hands-- if Oprah was going to stump for Obama in New Hampshire.

“First she’s coming to Iowa,” Obama told Hoagland, who in 1963 was a co-founder of what is now the giant CVS pharmacy chain. “But we’ll talk about it. We’ll get her up here.” ...

Oprah Winfrey can help, Hoagland said, “because I think that Oprah can say to women ‘you do not have to vote for the first woman president. Vote for what you need.”

The Obama campaign has long hoped Winfrey, who hosted a massive fund-raiser for Obama would be willing to go on the stump for him. Winfrey opened her Montecito, Calif. estate to Obama on Sept. 8 for a star-studded fund-raiser that took in about $3 million for Obama.

Obama could be on to something bringing Oprah in, especially if she makes it okay for women not to vote for Hillary. It would certainly be a more interesting race if Obama can hold his lead and win Iowa.