The woman who helped make Mehmet Oz famous is backing his Republican opponent in the Pennsylvania Senate primary race.
Television icon Oprah Winfrey announced Thursday night that she is favoring Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman over Oz in the midterm election race.
“If I lived in Pennsylvania, I would have already voted for John Fetterman, for many reasons,” Winfrey said during a chat she hosted during the vote.
Oz rose to national fame as a regular guest on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and later when Winfrey sponsored his own spin off, “The Dr. Oz Show.”
Winfrey told New York Magazine in 2021 that “it’s up to the people of Pennsylvania to decide who will represent them.”
Fetterman, Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor, cheered the approval Thursday night.
“It is an honor and a privilege to have Oprah’s support in this fight,” Fetterman said in a statement. “He is a leader on so many issues – fighting for our democracy, voting for common sense gun reform and ensuring racial justice. I’m grateful for Oprah’s support and confidence in the issues that matter to people across the country and in Pennsylvania as we close out this campaign.”
Winfrey during the conversation also expressed support for other Democratic candidates in key races, including Cheri Beasley of North Carolina, Val Demings of Florida, Mandela Barnes of Wisconsin, Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, Beto O’Rourke from Texas and Raphael Warnock and Stacey Abrams from Georgia.
