Oprah Winfrey jumped into the political fray this week when she endorsed Democrat Pennsylvania Senate candidate John Fetterman over her longtime friend, Dr. Mehmet Oz.
Winfrey issued her endorsement of Fetterman during a virtual town hall on Thursday.
“I said it was up to the citizens of Pennsylvania,” Winfrey said. “But I would tell y’all this — if I lived in Pennsylvania, I would have already cast my vote for John Fetterman for many reasons.”
Fetterman celebrated the news on Twitter.
WELCOME TO #TEAMFETTERMAN, @Oprah!! https://t.co/ZSYnEiNTZz
— John Fetterman (@JohnFetterman) November 4, 2022
A Barack Obama-backer, Winfrey also backed several Democrat midterm candidates during Thursday’s town hall, including Florida Rep. Val Demings in her bid against Marco Rubio, Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, Raphael Warnock, Stacey Abrams, and Beto O’Rourke.
“Use your discernment — which seems to be missing in a lot of our country today — use your discernment and choose wisely for the democracy of our country,” Winfrey added.
Winfrey, who has a long history with Dr. Oz, largely stayed out of the Pennsylvania race but endorsed Fetterman at the last minute while current polls put them neck and neck. As Breitbart News reported:
Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz maintains a slim advantage over Democrat John Fetterman in Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senat race, according to a poll.
Oz leads Fetterman by a margin of 48 percent to 46 percent among the likely voters sampled in Emerson College’s poll released Thursday, days ahead of Tuesday’s pivotal election.
The poll, which the Hill sponsored, finds that four percent of likely voters are undecided, but Fetterman still trails Oz 48 percent to 47 percent when undecided leaners are accounted for.
PENNSYLVANIA POLL with @thehill #PASen@DrOz 48%@JohnFetterman 46%
4% undecidedWith undecided leaners
Oz 48%
Fetterman 47%https://t.co/NqbdX6UYOS pic.twitter.com/2ZNq8wxix5— Emerson College Polling (@EmersonPolling) November 3, 2022
Fetterman took a nosedive in the polls following his debate against Oz, during which the handicaps stemming from the stroke he suffered from earlier this year became readily apparent. Routinely, Fetterman struggled to give coherent responses to moderator questions as he confused words and paused awkwardly.
Though Oprah’s endorsement will likely bolster the Fetterman campaign, it will likely have little sway with voters, considering that she failed to push Stacey Abrams over the line after championing her during the 2018 midterms.
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