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Title: The Role of Celebrity Endorsements in Politics: Oprah, Obama, and the 2008 Democratic Primary

Citation Type: Miscellaneous

Publication Year: 2008

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Abstract: Identifying the effects of political endorsements has historically been difficult. Before the 2008 Democratic Presidential Primary, Barack Obama was endorsed by Oprah Winfrey. We assess the endorsements impact using subscriptions to O! The Oprah Magazine and the sales of books Winfrey has recommended as measures of her influence. We find it had a positive effect on the votes and financial contributions Obama received, and on voter participation. No connection is found between the measures of Oprah's influence and previous elections, nor with underlyingpolitical preferences. Our results suggest Winfrey's endorsement was responsible for approximately 1,000,000 additional votes for Obama.

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Authors: Moore, Timothy J.; Garthwaite, Craig

Publisher: University of Maryland, College Park

Data Collections: IPUMS NHGIS

Topics: Other

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