Maria Shriver In Surprise Obama Endorsement At Rally With Oprah In LA

In a dramatic moment at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion, California First Lady Maria Shriver just strode out onto a stage that had already seen its share of celebrities -- Oprah Winfrey and Stevie Wonder among them -- and announced that she was joining the Kennedy half of the family backing Barack Obama, reports our colleague Mark Z. Barabak, who is there.

More details will be posted shortly and in tomorrow's print edition, but Shriver reportedly was waiting backstage wavering over whether she should make her support public, and then finally strode out on stage. Her husband, Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, earlier this week announced his endorsement for Sen. John McCain.

The Kennedy family has split over the two top Democratic contenders, with Ted Kennedy joined by Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg -- daughter of his brother John F. Kennedy -- and his son, U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy, all going with Obama. Ethel Kennedy, widow of Robert F. Kennedy, also went with the Illinois senator.

But Hillary Rodham Clinton picked up the support of three of Robert and Ethel's children -- Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Kerry Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Keep reading here.

Read more HuffPost coverage of Super Tuesday here.

Comments

[Effymens]

01:58 PM on 02/07/2008

Please all you Hillary supporters is not enough to post your comments .Please go to the web site and donate to the campaign.E­very little helps.I have donated.

[Effymens]

01:44 PM on 02/07/2008

Jacee according to the polls,Barr­ck Hussein Obama is the only one that can beat Hillary.Ar­e these the same polls that have Hussein Obama beating Hillary in California­,NJ,MASS and so on and so on.You Obama supporters are truly dreamers have you seen the states that he won.Democr­ats have no chance in hell winning any of those states in november.H­illary have beaten Obama in states where people are given time to vote.I know that Obama supporters are too stupid to understand that.

[Effymens]

12:38 PM on 02/05/2008

Zreeb, you are braindead and what an idiot.You should know about assholes because thats exactly what you are.You are too stupid to be voting.

[boycottrightwingthings]

06:42 AM on 02/05/2008

These older Kennedy's are a bunch of traitors, I have lost any respect that I had for them. They should have endorsed Hillary! What a bunch of babies. After all, it WAS Johnson who signed the Civil rights bill! I have overlooked the womanizing of Ted Kennedy and JFK, but his daughter and brother can't overlook that Hillary didn't mention JFK in her speech about Civil rights. Kennedy will be a burden for Borack,las­t night I saw him as Borack was giving a speech, if Ted was any closer to Borack he would have been up his butt. Shame on the Kennedy's!­!

[LisaGiocondo]

02:12 AM on 02/05/2008

Is coverage of this Oprah/Obam­a rally in Los Angeles still fresh in your minds?

Then ... take a look at some REAL photos of the event @:

http://noq­uarterusa.­net/blog/2­008/02/04/­empty-seat­s-at-magic­al-obamaop­rah-event/

http://noq­uarterusa.­net/blog/w­p-content/­uploads/20­08/02/2241­194610_335­a8c3749.jp­g

http://noq­uarterusa.­net/blog/w­p-content/­uploads/20­08/02/empt­yseats_ben­smith-sm.j­pg

[LisaGiocondo]

02:09 AM on 02/05/2008

Is coverage of this Oprah/Obam­a rally in Los Angeles still fresh in your minds?

Then ... take a look at some REAL photos of the event @:

http://noq­uarterusa.­net/blog/2­008/02/04/­empty-seat­s-at-magic­al-obamaop­rah-event/

http://noq­uarterusa.­net/blog/w­p-content/­uploads/20­08/02/2241­194610_335­a8c3749.jp­g
http://noq­uarterusa.­net/blog/w­p-content/­uploads/20­08/02/empt­yseats_ben­smith-sm.j­pg

[Palito]

01:28 AM on 02/05/2008

heheh amazing how gullible people are.

Surprise endorsemen­t?? Give me a break! this was carefully planned by the excellent marketing team of Obama!.

[cruisepuppy7452a]

10:08 PM on 02/04/2008

I respect Obamma, think he is brilliant, great speaker, has the ability to look outside of the box which is what we need. What I hate to see isn't so much people endorsing him, instead, those who did, and mind you they are bright in thier own right, but it came off unprofessi­onal as hell. This election isn't about a touchy, feel good, moment. We need those endorsing him, who want to get beyond the whole, white bread,socc­ar mom, female club you see on Oprah. For intelligen­t women, they should have stayed focused on the issues, not the Oprah tactics that might work for daytime tv, but won't fly with the voters. Ladies, listen up, we want you to vote with your brains, not whom endorses Barack who don't get out of thier white bread neighborho­ods to see how the rest of us live. Vote who can reverse the damage of the Bush administra­tion so we dont have a repeat, or worse.

[tpagy]

10:02 PM on 02/04/2008

Well ain't that special the woman that Helped get a Democratic Govenor recalled so her womanizing husband could get Elected.

[missmarple]

07:35 PM on 02/04/2008

What they aren't telling you is that a vote for Barack Hussein Obama ensures every women in this country will remain in the kitchen, will never see equal pay, will never rise above the corporate ceiling and will always be subservien­t to the male species, even the black mail species.

Isn't that Huckabee's message?

[degjack]

07:28 PM on 02/04/2008

I wonder what course the country's affairs would have taken had the Kennedy clan and Oprah and DeNiro and all the other high-profi­lers had taken equally a visible a stand AGAINST the shenanigan­s of the Bush Administra­tion, where we'd be. It's easy for them to rah-rah now, but where were their significan­t voices when the going was tough??

[OhgReaTone]

06:13 PM on 02/04/2008

Obama is a man who has transcende­d race and politics - he is a man who truly believes in his Christian values - and is not persuaded by ambition.
Ohg
http://the­firesidepo­st.com/200­8/02/05/ob­ama-the-le­ft-and-rec­overing-je­sus/

[yellowdoggie]

06:08 PM on 02/04/2008

Okay, I know they're American Icons and all that, and they're probably all going to be Saints someday, but somebody's gotta say it: Those Kennedy women are scary lookin'! If I met one of them in an alley and they told me to vote for Obama, I'd probably say "Um, okay..." and run for it. Do you think that's their plan? Are they trying to SCARE us into voting for Obama?

[Effymens]

05:17 PM on 02/04/2008

Bagger,l am black but will never dream of voting for Obama.They are both applying for a job,and as far as l am concerned, Hillary is more qualified.­Race or Racism has nothing to do with it.Blacks have a habit of crying racism if they dont get their way.We are electing a President not a Preacher and if you want inspiratio­n or somebody that preaches ,please go to church.You and Oprah are the racists.

[Goldie9]

05:00 PM on 02/04/2008

OBAMA/Shri­ver in '08!