Oprah Dominated Political Scene Past Weekend; Huck Presses Rudy
BY JOHN TOSCANO

On the Republican side, former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani came out ahead of former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee in both polls.

After a whirlwind, two day, three-state campaign jaunt that brought out about 70,000 excited spectators to listen to Barack Obama's stump speeches, political pundits must be wondering what American icon Oprah Winfrey can do next to help her candidate win the Democratic Party nomination.

Surely, Obama, who's breathing down Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton's neck in the first three major tests of the 2008 election, can fit the charismatic television queen into his strategy for the remaining 47 state primaries that are scheduled to take place during several months of the new year.

Although Obama is very competitive with Clinton in the January 3 Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire and South Carolina primaries that follow closely, the Illinois Senator still trails the former First Lady in the latest national polls, with John Edwards further behind, as he now is in the first three voting tests. Those polls also show the Republican presidential field tightening.

Winfrey stirred up enough new and pressing business for the Obama forces in her march through Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina last weekend to keep them busy preparing for those three crucial contests.

One big question that was being asked before Winfrey got to Iowa was whether she had enough pull to bring voters over to Obama's side. Celebrity endorsers like Winfrey usually don't. But she did the next best thing. She attracted the crowds to the stadiums and meeting places where Obama was to address them, and while they were there, Obama campaign operatives got names and addresses of many and will have a chance to pursue them and bring them around to Winfrey's way of thinking about the race.

According to Obama campaign officials, as the crowds filed into the stadiums and meeting halls, they were each given what Obama aides called Voter Contact Cards. On them were the names and telephone numbers of four voters from the state where the Oprah/Obama team happened to be appearing that day and instructions to call them. On the back of the card were a few lines urging a vote for Obama.

This message from Obama, made possible by Winfrey's appearance, could very well provide a last-minute push to give Obama a victory- the real importance of having Winfrey out campaigning for him.

But realistically, in any election as important as these first caucuses or primaries, which provide so much future momentum for the winner, past practice has been for all candidates to make a last-minute push of some kind- a mailing or a phone campaign- to get out the vote for each candidate.

In this case, Winfrey may make the difference.

Making her first such campaign foray, Winfrey was forceful in her brief talks about Obama. She stressed his unique, antiestablishment stance in his basic campaign approach. For the benefit of blacks in the audiences, Winfrey played on the obvious influences of her being there and of Obama's chances to be the first black president.

Meanwhile, in a New York Times/CBS poll and a CNN poll, which were taken last week and last weekend, Clinton led in both, but Obama showed some improvement over previous surveys.

In the Times/CBS poll, Clinton led 44 percent, Obama drew 27 percent and Edwards 11 percent. However, Clinton's 17-point lead was 11 points less than the October poll, in which she led Obama by 28 points, or 51 percent to 23 percent.

In the CNN poll, Clinton finished only 10 points ahead of Obama, 40 percent to 30 percent, with Edwards trailing with 14 percent.

On the Republican side, former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani came out ahead of former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee in both polls, although they finished in virtual ties in both surveys. It was a 22- 21 finish in the Times poll. But in the CNN October poll, Giuliani had outdistanced Huckabee by a 28 percent-to-10 percent count.

Mitt Romney was third in both polls and the other GOP hopefuls trailed far behind.

However, Huckabee has surged to the top in Iowa and New Hampshire, with Romney second and Giuliani a distant third. Should Huckabee take the first two contests, the momentum could carry him to the lead over Giuliani in national polls.