Oprah (right) with Patrick Obama and his wife Michelle. (Reuters)

Des Moines (Iowa), Dec. 8 (AP): Oprah and Hillary — two women so famous that they are known by their first name — were competing for the attention of Iowa voters today during an intensely close US presidential campaign.

While Hillary Rodham Clinton has become a familiar face here as she pursues the Democratic presidential nomination, talk-show host Oprah Winfrey was making her debut on the campaign trail in support of Hillary rival Barack Obama.

Winfrey planned to appear with the US Senator and his wife at two Iowa rallies expected to draw thousands. Then she planned to travel with the couple tomorrow to two other key primary election states — New Hampshire and South Carolina.

The Democratic race in Iowa is tight, with Obama, Hillary and 2004 vice-presidential nominee John Edwards in a dead heat for the January 3 caucuses — the first state vote on the road to the November 2008 national election.

The Obama campaign said Winfrey was already a boon to the campaign even before her appearance.

Thousands of voters, including many who have never had contact with the campaign before, have signed up on his website or come into campaign offices to pick up tickets. Those who agreed to volunteer at least four hours during the past two weeks got priority tickets, and the campaign said 1,385 people took them up on the offer.

When Iowans come to hear Oprah, they also will get a pitch from Obama. And they will be approached by campaign volunteers armed with literature and requests to commit to Obama — 135 will be working the Des Moines site alone.

The Obama campaign is particularly interested in winning over women, who have been leaning towards Hillary in the polls. Winfrey gave Obama’s White House bid a boost months before her decision to join him at campaign appearances. In September, she hosted a gala fundraiser attended by high-wattage stars at her California estate.