Oprah Winfrey hosts Obama fundraiser

MONTECITO, Calif., Sept. 9 (UPI) -- About 1,500 people gathered at Oprah Winfrey’s California estate Saturday for a fundraiser for U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.

The party was timed to precede the season premiere of Winfrey’s television show, The Chicago Tribune reported. It was the biggest fundraiser ever for Obama’s presidential campaign, and represents Winfrey’s entry into active politics.

"I call my home the Promised Land because I get to live Dr. King's dream," Winfrey said in a joint appearance with the candidate, one of the guests told the Tribune. "I haven't been actively engaged before because there hasn't been anything to be actively engaged in. But I am engaged now to make Barack Obama the next president of the United States."

While the guest list included celebrities like Whoopi Goldberg and Chris Rock, and Stevie Wonder was the featured entertainer, Winfrey and Obama were the undoubted stars of the occasion, the newspaper said.