Race for Iowa heats up as Oprah joins Obama

Illustrated rainbow pride flag on a pink background.

Democratic Presidential candidate frontrunners are pulling out the big guns this week to woo voters in Iowa.

While Barack Obama leans on Oprah Winfrey’s star power to pull in crowds, Hillary turns to support from daughter Chelsea Clinton and mother Dorothy Rodham to lend her campaign a softer ‘family’ feel.

This week, Hillary Clinton debuted two more weapons in her arsenal to claim victory in Presidential primary race, 27-year-old daughter Chelsea and 88-year-old mom Dorothy.

Husband Bill Clinton was notable in his absence, campaigning for his wife in South Carolina, allowing the ‘woman’ power of the Clinton ladies in Iowa to shine through.

Although Clinton’s daughter and mother kept their comments to a minimum, Hillary used their presence to fuel her stumps speeches on the Iowa trail.

“The reason I am so happy they are both here is because I’m running for President to make the kind of changes America needs,” Clinton said, “and these are changes people need no matter what age we are.”

Chelsea Clinton stated over a breakfast meet at Palmer’s Deli and Market in Des Moines she was “happy to be here” supporting her mother.

The move to bring Chelsea and Dorothy into the campaign is seen by some to be a tactic to deflate some of Obama’s prestige in securing legendary talk show diva Oprah Winfrey as a speaker on his Iowa tour, according to Politico.com.

Winfrey said she felt “compelled to stand up and speak for the man I believe has a new vision for America”.

“These are dangerous times, you can feel it. We need a leader who shows us how to hope again in America as a force for peace,” Winfrey told the crowd at an Iowa Obama rally on Saturday, according to CNN.com.

Obama was obviously aware of the effect created by Oprah’s presence at the event, joking to the audience, “There are some people who are here to see Oprah,” he said, according to FoxNews.com. “I’m sort of a by-product of that and I aprpeciate that, but what I know is that for her to take the risk of stepping out of her comfort zone is extraordinary.”

Media pundits speculate Obama’s embrace of Oprah’s support during his tour in Iowa is to help lure women voters away from Hillary Clinton and create an even stronger support base among black voters.

Recent tallies in Iowa show Obama leading in several polls, with Clinton leading others and North Carolina Senator John Edwards close behind.

Ann Turner © 2007 GayWired.com, All Rights Reserved.

Comments (0)

MyPinkNews members are invited to comment on articles to discuss the content we publish, or debate issues more generally. Please familiarise yourself with our community guidelines to ensure that our community remains a safe and inclusive space for all.

Loading Comments