Wisconsin officials and students had
mixed reactions to Oprah Winfrey's endorsement last week of
Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama at fundraising events in
Iowa, South Carolina and New Hampshire.

More than 60,000 people attended the
rallies across the country.

Bryon Eagon, Wisconsin state
coordinator of Students for Obama, attended Winfrey's speech in
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and said Winfrey has a powerful message.

"I had never heard her speak in
person before; she was very personable and sincere about this
campaign," Eagon said. "Oprah's role was not to use her
popularity to persuade people, it was to bring them into the
discussions about Sen. Obama's values and ideas for the future of
this country."

Kenneth Goldstein, University of
Wisconsin political science professor, said celebrity endorsements
often do not necessarily translate into votes.

"There are very few instances where
endorsements have moved vast amounts of people to vote," Goldstein
said.

Goldstein did think the Obama campaign
was using a celebrity endorsement in a different way than has been
seen in the past.

"They controlled who went to the
event, they had the phone numbers and e-mail addresses for everyone
who went and contacted people afterwards," Goldstein said. "This
contact translated the buzz of celebrity endorsement into celebrity
capital."

Sen. Fred Risser, D-Madison, said
endorsers have an effect on campaigns because they draw attention.

"I run for office, I like
endorsements," Risser said. "I think endorsers who are well-liked
and well-known or endorsers who have been elected by the public show
'they have a fair amount of support, I might as well vote for
them.'"

The timing of the announcement of an
endorser is also important, Risser said.

"If it comes late in the campaign, it
won't have as much of an impact. What good is [an endorsement] if
it's right before an election and everyone has already decided who
they are voting for? In the case of Obama, the timing is very good,"
Risser said.

Sara Mikolajczak, chair of UW College
Republicans, said endorsements could either help or hurt a
presidential campaign.

"A lot of candidates are doing it,
Chuck Norris endorsed Mike Huckabee and it could be successful or it
could be damaging," Mikolajczak said. "A lot of people from older
generations might not understand why Chuck Norris is endorsing Mike
Huckabee, a lot of younger people might think it's hilarious — it
really depends on your audience."

Rep. Scott Suder, R-Abbotsford, said
while most endorsers do not mean a great deal to a campaign, Oprah
may be an exception.

"She is incredibly well-respected,
especially if you're a women or of any ethnicity. Only Oprah can
bring 30,000 people to one event and raise millions," Suder said,
adding her endorsement "could certainly help bring new people into
Obama camp — there are a lot of people who will follow her."

The most significant endorsement is
from the American people, not celebrities, Eagon said.

"While Oprah's endorsement is
appreciated, the biggest endorsement will come from voters," Eagon
said.