Experts: Celebs may not help campaigns

WASHINGTON, Dec. 3 (UPI) -- U.S. experts said celebrity endorsements of presidential candidates could backfire -- if they have any effect on the race at all.

The experts said endorsements of candidates by Hollywood figures -- including talk show powerhouse Oprah Winfrey's endorsement of Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and singer/actress Barbra Streisand's vocal support for Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y. -- could have the opposite of the desired effect on a voting populace that is increasingly fed up with celebrities, The Washington Times reported Monday.

A Pew Research survey taken in September found three-fourths of respondents said celebrity endorsements would not affect their votes.

"The proverbial star system is no longer in place. Celebrity has become so loosely defined that it now includes people rejected by the public, or not taken seriously by a large sector of the electorate. That doesn't do a candidate much good," said Robert Lichter, director of the Center for Media and Public Affairs.

"Liberal Hollywood traditionally favored Democrats. When a star throws support to a Democrat, it confirms the deepest Republican suspicions about bias in media or entertainment," Mr. Lichter said. "When the GOP gets a rare celebrity endorsement, Democrats are annoyed that their territory is getting violated."