DENNIS HOPPER - REPUBLICAN HOPPER CONSIDERS A VOTE FOR OBAMA

Staunch Republican DENNIS HOPPER is considering switching sides in the upcoming U.S. presidential race after Democrat BARACK OBAMA took time to honour his late mother. Hopper's wife Victoria Duffy is a huge Obama fan and insisted her husband was with her at a rally when the senator announced his bid to run for The White House. And Hopper was so impressed he joined his wife at early campaign dates and then found himself in an elevator with Obama at one rally. Hopper recalls, "My mother had died three months before and my wife had obviously mentioned something to Obama. "I only met him a couple of times before and he turned to me in this crowded elevator and said, 'I'm so sorry to hear about your mother.' He said, 'I know your mother is from Kansas and so is mine. I didn't have an opportunity to give you condolences but you have my sympathy.' "I thought, 'In the middle of this day with all this stuff going on, you have the presence of mind to turn to me in this crowded elevator and say that - that is really remarkable.' "That's somebody who has great humanity and (somebody) who has presence of mind - important qualities for a president. "But I'm still a Republican. I haven't made up my mind if I'm going to vote Republican this year. I'm still watching." Hopper's choice has been made easier by the fact there is now only one Republican candidate in the race for The White House - war hero and author John MCCain. Obama and Hillary Clinton are still fighting for the Democratic candidacy.