While Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama has won endorsements from big name celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, lately, the Illinois Senator has been winning support in some unlikely quarters: the Republican Party.
On Friday, former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld became the latest in a string of GOP stalwarts to come out in favour of Obama. Weld cited the senator's good judgment, "deep sense of calm" and "first-class political temperament."
The endorsement comes a day after President Bush's former Press Secretary Scott McClellan joined the growing list, which also includes Susan Eisenhower, granddaughter of former President Dwight Eisenhower, and former Secretary of State Colin Powell.
McClellan, who made the surprise announcement on Thursday, left the Bush White House in 2006 and wrote a controversial book called "What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception."
The insider's writings angered Republicans upon its release earlier this year and reportedly left President Bush saddened.
"From the very beginning I have said I am going to support the candidate that has the best chance for changing the way Washington works and getting things done," said McClellan, who ran Bush's press operations from July 2003 through April 2006.
"I will be voting for Barack Obama."
Obama has also won the support of Maryland Congressman Wayne Gilchrest, Former Rhode Island Senator Lincoln Chafee and Jackson M. Andrews, who is a Republican counselor to the U.S. Senate.
"I think he is a transformational figure," Powell told Tom Brokaw, the host of the show "Meet the Press" on Sunday.
"He is a new generation coming into the world-- onto the world state, onto the American stage, and for that reason I'll be voting for Senator Barack Obama."
While Republican candidate John McCain has worked to distance himself from the unpopular Bush White House by calling himself as a maverick, the Arizona senator has nevertheless been plagued by the tarnished Republican brand.
McCain's campaign has also been hampered by limited funds while Obama has raised record amounts.
This week, many polls put Obama in the lead by eight or nine percentage points.
Perhaps less troubling for McCain, actor-turned-film director Ron Howard also launched a pro-Obama campaign this week.
In his bid to boost Obama, Howard used celluloid technology to relive his popular roles on "The Andy Griffith Show" and "Happy Days," where he is joined by actor Henry Winkler, who gained fame for playing the Fonze on the show.
