Oprah to host Obama presidential fundraiser at her California estate

Popular talk show host Oprah Winfrey will throw open the gates of her 42-acre Promised Land Estate in Montecito, California, this weekend, for her first political fundraiser.

Washington, Sept.6 : Popular talk show host Oprah Winfrey will throw open the gates of her 42-acre Promised Land Estate in Montecito, California, this weekend, for her first political fundraiser.

She is hoping to use the fundraiser to help Barack Obama become the first African-American president of the United States.

According to The Independent, Winfrey will welcome about 1,500 guests to her home, sandwiched between the Pacific Ocean and the mountains.

She expects to raise about three million dollars for Obama's already overflowing coffers.

Winfrey is regarded as one of the most influential woman in the world, as her daytime TV show, with 8.4 million viewers, is the highest-rated talk show in history.

She recently launched her own satellite radio channel. She is the wealthiest and most philanthropic African American ever, and her book club is a major force in publishing.

In fact, there are many who wish Oprah herself would run for president, but she has ruled it out.

In May she told her viewers that she was backing Senator Obama in what was seen as a major boost for his campaign.

This weekend could be the start of that beautiful friendship. As with most political events, the candidate will speak briefly and then mingle with the crowd. Only a select group of invitees will have access to Winfrey, however, and her home will remain off limits.

Tickets are already sold out at 2,300 dollars each, which is the maximum donation for Senator Obama's primary campaign.

Hollywood stars, including Will Smith, John Travolta, Jamie Foxx and Halle Berry are on the guest list, while the music legend Stevie Wonder and the gospel singer BeBe Winans are set to entertain the crowd.

When the party is over, the expectation is that Winfrey will appear in television ads and make special public appeals, although representatives of both Obama and Winfrey have declined to comment.

Winfrey recently told CNN's Larry King. "My value to him - my support of him (Obama) - is probably worth more than any other cheque that I could write."

Oprah Winfrey first met Obama and his wife, Michelle, before he ran for the US Senate in 2004, and they have remained close ever since.

Two years ago, the Obamas were at Winfrey's white-tie Legends Ball at her Montecito estate, when she suggested hosting a political event - something she had never done before.

Ever since, Winfrey has been one of Obama's most influential supporters.

"For me, this was the moment to step up," she said in a recent radio programme.

ANI