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If Oprah Winfrey lived in Pennsylvania, she would vote for John Fetterman. During a Winfrey-hosted A Virtual Voting Conversation on Thursday, the talk show host joined community leaders in a discussion on the upcoming elections.
“If we do not show up to vote, if we do not get fired up in this moment, the people who will be in power will begin making decisions for us,” she stressed. “Decisions about how we care for our bodies, how we care for our kids, what books your children can read, who gets protected by the police and who gets targeted.”
During the online conversation, she also showed her support for the state’s Democratic candidate. ”I said it was up to the citizens of Pennsylvania … 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.
Her stance throws her against Mehmet Oz, better known as Dr. Oz, who was a regular guest on her talk show, which helped him ascend to celebrity status. The GOP nominee is running neck-and-neck with Fetterman in a battle that could determine control of the Senate.
In an October debate, Fetterman assured voters that he would continue to fight for Pennsylvanians who had been “knocked down,” while Oz stated that reproductive decisions should be decided by “women, doctors, [and] local political leaders.” However, when asked whether he would vote for or against the 15-weekfederal abortion banproposed by South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, Oz declined to answer directly and said that he would oppose federal restrictions on abortion.
Fetterman welcomed Winfrey’s support on Thursday. “It is an honor and privilege to have Oprah’s support in this race,”he said in a statment. “She is a leader on so many issues — fighting for our democracy, passing common-sense gun reform, and ensuring racial justice. I’m grateful for Oprah’s support and trust on the issues that matter to people across the country and Pennsylvania as we close out this campaign.”
