Obama, Oprah campaign in early voting South Carolina

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- The Oprah and Obama tour hit South Carolina on Sunday, with the talk show host and media mogul exhorting nearly 30,000 people to ignore Barack Obama's detractors and help him capture the Democratic nomination and the presidency.

"South Carolina -- January 26th is your moment," Winfrey said, referring to the state Democratic primary date during a campaign stop alongside the Illinois senator. "It's your time to seize the opportunity to support a man who, as the Bible says, loves mercy and does justly."

Obama's campaign said more than 29,000 attended the event at the University of South Carolina's football stadium. It had the feel of a rock concert, with bands playing for early arrivals and campaign supporters yelling "fire it up" to the crowd.

Winfrey, who also campaigned for Obama on Saturday in Iowa, offered a touch of talk show-like advice during a 17-minute speech. "There are those who say it's not his time, that he should wait his turn. Think about where you'd be in your life if you'd waited when people told you to," she said.

"I'm sick of politics as usual," Winfrey said. "We need Barack Obama."

A recent AP-Pew Research poll has New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton leading in South Carolina with 45 percent of likely Democratic primary voters, followed by Obama's 31 percent. The two candidates break even on the black vote here, and that's where Winfrey's appeal could become a factor -- along with her pull among women.