Savannah Hulsey Pointer, FISM News
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TV celebrity Oprah Winfrey continued campaigning for Democrats by backing Democrat nominee John Fetterman over GOP nominee Dr. Mehmet Oz, despite her long history with the Republican Senate candidate.
Winfrey helped Oz become a household name when the pair appeared on television together at the start of his on-screen career. However, despite saying in 2021 that it was “up to the residents of Pennsylvania to decide who will represent them,” Winfrey now wants voters to back Fetterman, according to Just The News.
“If I lived in Pennsylvania, I would’ve already cast my vote for John Fetterman, for many reasons,” said Winfrey during a virtual conversation on voting that she hosted Thursday.
Given that Winfrey is a Democrat and has previously donated to Democrats running for office, including President Obama, her support is not entirely unexpected.
Fetterman, who is currently Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor, seemed happy to receive the Winfrey endorsement, saying, “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,” in a statement.
Not everyone was happy with Winfrey’s endorsement, however. Kid Rock, a multi-platinum recording artist, pushed back against the television legend on Saturday and referred to her as a “fraud” after Winfrey supported Fetterman’s campaign for the Pennsylvania Senate over his Republican opponent, whom Winfrey has known and collaborated with for years.
“Oprah helped Dr. Oz with his career,” Kid Rock tweeted Saturday in a post that was retweeted over 10,000 times. “I assume because she vetted him and found him to be a wonderful person. Now she is against him. Oprah is a fraud. -Kid Rock.”
While the news was unlikely seen as a positive for the Oz campaign, Rachel Tripp, senior communications adviser for the Oz campaign, told Fox News Digital in an emailed statement that, “Doctor Oz loves Oprah and respects the fact that they have different politics. He believes we need more balance and less extremism in Washington.”