Even though Oprah Winfrey is extremely popular outside of Trump’s base, and would beat the President by double-digits, a majority of Americans surveyed in the new NPR/PBS Newshour/Marist poll would prefer that she didn’t run.
According to Marist:
When matched against President Donald Trump, 50% of registered voters say they would support Oprah. 39% would vote for Trump, and 11% are undecided. Support breaks along party lines. 91% of Democrats report they would back Oprah, and 85% of Republicans say they would support Trump. Nearly one in ten Republicans (8%) think they would back Oprah. A plurality of independents (46%) say they would vote for Oprah. A notable 17% of independents are undecided.
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A majority of Americans (54%) do not want Oprah to run for president. 35% do, and 11% are unsure. African Americans (63%) and Democrats (47%) are among those who would most like to see Oprah run in 2020.
Democrats like Oprah, but after the incompetence follies of Trump, many are unwilling to take a chance on a celebrity candidate with zero political experience. Trouncing Trump in a general election is setting a very low bar for polling. Trump is the least popular first-year president in the history of polling. Oprah Winfrey is a very liked and respected national figure, which makes her lead not very surprising.
A theoretical candidate Oprah will be more popular than the real person.
A celebrity isn’t the answer for Democrats according to this poll. Democrats want a candidate with charisma and who can excite and go toe to toe with Trump. Oprah is great in theory, but after even a small dose of Trump, the nation is looking for a low key competent president.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association