At a virtual get-out-the-vote event, Oprah Winfrey shook up the PA US Senate race by endorsing John Fetterman for Senate.
Winfrey said, “If I lived in Pennsylvania, I would have already cast my vote for John Fetterman for many reasons.”
The Fetterman campaign said in a statement provided to PoliticusUSA, “This endorsement is especially critical given Oz and Oprah’s close and well-documented relationship over the years. Oprah knows Dr. Oz well and is widely credited with helping launch Oz’s TV career. Oz has also repeatedly called Oprah his mentor and had previously urged Oprah to stay out of the race.”
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People Who Know Dr. Oz Best Keep Endorsing John Fetterman
In what should be a giant red flag for Pennsylvania voters, people who are close to Dr. Oz and know him best are endorsing John Fetterman. The people who know Oz do not think that he is fit for the US Senate.
“What a brutally tough week for Doc Hollywood,” said Fetterman Campaign Spokesperson Joe Calvello. “On Tuesday, it was Dr. Rose, who launched his career in medicine, and last night it was Oprah who launched his career on TV. One by one, the people who know Oz best are coming out against him and making clear that he should not serve in the United States Senate. This is a devastating rebuke of Dr. Oz.”
Oz Could Put The Final Nail In His Coffin At Rally With Donald Trump
Dr. Oz has tried to paint himself as a moderate, just like Trump did during the Pennsylvania Senate campaign, but Oz used several Trump talking points in his debate with Fetterman.
Cozying up to the former president is a dangerous strategy because while it gets the red rural Trump voters to the polls in Pennsylvania, Trump also drives turnout for Democrats.
It is also interesting because Oz has also privately rejected Trump.
Trump is wildly unpopular with the Independent voters that Oz is courting in the state, and his Saturday night appearance with Trump in Latrobe, PA, could cost him votes at the end of the campaign.
The Pennsylvania race has stabilized somewhere between a 2-4 point lead for John Fetterman. The race is still close, and all Pennsylvanians who care about their state and the country must vote.
Oprah Winfrey’s endorsement is a reminder that those who know Oz best are warning Pennsylvania voters against putting him in the US Senate.
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
