Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama's campaign has rolled out talk show host Oprah Winfrey, one of the most influential women in the US, aiming to reach female and black voters in key election states.
Ms Winfrey brought a showbiz buzz to Barack Obama's US presidential campaign yesterday, kicking off a tour of key states with a rousing speech to a sea of screaming fans.
One of the biggest crowds so far in the 2008 race for president, crammed into a hall in the early primary voting state of Iowa to hear Ms Winfrey's first ever speech for a political candidate.
'I am not here to tell you what to think, I'm here to ask you to think,' Ms Winfrey told the cheering crowd. She urged voters to back Mr Obama's 'new vision' for the United States.
Mr Obama's campaign had to change the venue for today's appearance from an 18,000 seat basketball arena to an 80,000 seat football stadium to accommodate the vast crowds expected.
Ms Winfrey, viewed as one of the most influential entertainers in the world, is said to be the second-most admired woman in the United States, just behind Hillary Clinton.
Her legendary book club on her afternoon television chat show has transformed unknown authors into bestsellers.
Now Mr Obama hopes her millions of mainly female disciples will help him outpace Hillary Clinton, the first woman with a realistic chance of winning the White House.
In her speech, Ms Winfrey said Mr Obama's stance as a candidate of change was more important than the perceived lack of political experience for which opponents such as Ms Clinton criticize him.
