The Oprah Factor: The Effects of a Celebrity Endorsement in a Presidential Primary Campaign

TLDR

Oprah Winfrey endorsed Barack Obama in 2007 for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination. The study examines how news of Oprah's endorsement influences voter attitudes. The authors conducted an experiment measuring participants' responses to endorsement news. Exposure to the endorsement news did not alter participants' favorable opinions or likability of Obama, but increased their perception of his likelihood to win the nomination and their willingness to vote for him, suggesting celebrity endorsements affect viability assessments more than support.

Abstract

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.