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Barack Obama and talk show host Oprah Winfrey at a campaign event in 2007 in Des Moines, Iowa. According to a report, Oprah will not endorse President Obama for his reelection campaign.President Obama may have to forgo the Oprah Effect this time around.
The influential talk show host isn't planning to publicly endorse Obama during his 2012 reelection campaign because she fears it might alienate viewers from tuning into her recently-launched Oprah Winfrey Network, according to PopEater.
"Unlike in 2008, when a drop in ratings didn't matter as much for the queen of TV, Oprah is now fighting every day to get people to tune into OWN," a source told the gossip website.
In 2008, Winfrey created huge buzz when she endorsed Obama despite criticism that she should not express her political views.
The talk show queen's favorability dropped from 74% to 66% and her unfavorability ratings jumped to 26% after she held a political rally in support of Obama's candidacy three years ago.
Lisa Halliday, a spokeswoman for Winfrey, denied the report Friday evening.
"Oprah's support of President Obama has been and remains unwavering since she initially endorsed his candidacy in 2007.� Any reports that suggest otherwise are untrue," Halliday told the Daily News.
Another spokesperson said Winfrey addressed the issue during an interview with Piers Morgan in January.
During that discussion, Winfrey did not say whether she would endorse Obama in 2012, but explained why she decided to back him in the first place.
Winfrey said she was moved after seeing Obama speak at the Democratic National Convention in 2004.
"I felt that this man is going to be President of the United States one day, and I hope I'm alive to see it. And if I am alive to see it, I want to be a part of that," she said.
But the source told the gossip site that although she's a big fan of the President, she won't make it public in his second run for the Oval Office.
"Helping a friend keep the most important job in the world is great, but making sure her OWN network thrives is now her priority."
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