Obama, Oprah draw thousands in S. Carolina

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Sen. Barack Obama and Oprah Winfrey brought their celebrity-endorsement tour to this pivotal Southern state Sunday, drawing thousands – mostly blacks and women – in what Obama called the biggest event of his presidential campaign.

The visit was a test of the candidate’s strength in a state that votes Republican in national contests but has a large black population. Blacks make up nearly half of Democratic voters in South Carolina, and women account for more than half the state’s black Democratic vote.

Winfrey received the loudest ovation of the hourlong rally when she was introduced by Obama’s wife, Michelle, as “the first lady of television.” But the Illinois senator had the crowd on its feet several times with promises to end the war in Iraq, confront inner-city poverty and revamp health care.

Obama repeated his signature campaign slogan: “Fired up! Ready to go!” The crowd chanted along with him. Thousands cheered as the normally reserved candidate began dancing to a Stevie Wonder tune.

The Obama campaign announced the crowd at 29,000. The number appeared to be slightly lower, with roughly one-quarter of the seats filled in the 80,000-capacity University of South Carolina football stadium.

Whether Winfrey’s popularity will translate into votes for Obama in the state’s Jan. 26 primary is an open question.

Kevin Griffis, a spokesman for the campaign, said the “Oprah effect,” at the very least, means that voters who had not previously paid much attention to Obama had come out to hear his message.

Scott H. Huffmon, a political science professor at Winthrop University in Rock Hill who has polled the state’s black electorate, said Winfrey’s mere presence makes Obama salient to voters – even if some people came only to see Oprah in the flesh and might not vote at all.

“And a lot are probably already Obama supporters,” Huffmon said. “The key to any endorsement, celebrity or otherwise, is winning over people who aren’t in your column.”

South Carolina is the first Southern state to hold a Democratic primary, three days before Florida. South Carolina’s primary is the first with a significant black population – 30 percent, versus 2 percent in Iowa and less than 1 percent in New Hampshire.