Celebrity talk show host Oprah Winfrey has announced her support for Democrat Lt. Gov. John Fetterman in the Pennsylvania Senate race over his Republican opponent Dr. Mehmet Oz.
“I said it was up to the citizens of Pennsylvania and of course, but I will tell you all this, if I lived in Pennsylvania, I would have already cast my vote for John Fetterman for many reasons,” Winfrey said during her online event, “A Virtual Voting Conversation,” on Nov. 3.
Winfrey, a Democrat, extended support to other Democrat candidates, including Rep. Val Demings in Florida, Cheri Beasley in North Carolina, Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes in Wisconsin, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto in Nevada, Beto O’Rourke in Texas, and Sen. Raphael Warnock and Stacey Abrams in Georgia.
Her support for Fetterman is noteworthy as she was the person who brought Oz to public prominence as a health expert by inviting him to her show several years ago. Oz eventually began his own talk show in 2009, which was produced by Winfrey’s company, Harpo Productions.
Debate, Public Support
In late October, Oz and Fetterman had their first and only debate, during which Fetterman’s recent auditory and speech delays came to the forefront. Since suffering a stroke in May, Fetterman has struggled with verbal communication and auditory processing.This is the first time that Oz has surpassed his opponent in the polls. While Oz’s support has risen by 5 percentage points since September, Fetterman’s support has only risen by 1 point.
But among those who have heard, seen, or read only a little or know nothing of the debate, Fetterman was leading 56 percent against Oz’s 28 percent.
Overall Republican chances to win the Senate have also improved.