From left to right: Oz, Winfrey, Fetterman.
Oprah Winfrey is making her voice heard.
Ahead of the midterm elections, Winfrey hosted "A Virtual Voting Conversation" on Nov. 3, where she and community leaders discussed the importance of voting during the critical election.
During the candid conversation, Winfrey stressed having a plan and casting one's ballot, as well as the issues that are at stake.
“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 said. “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.”
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“And right now, you have a say in these things we do,” she added.
During the tail end of her conversation, Winfrey announced her support of Democrat John Fetterman, who is running for Senate against Republican Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania.
She noted that there are "many reasons" why she was putting her support behind Fetterman over the celebrity doctor, but that he was not the only candidate she backed.
“That is not the only race that matters. If I was in North Carolina... sister (Cheri) Beasley there, and if I was in Florida, I’d be supporting Val Demings. If I was in Wisconsin, it would be Mandela Barnes, in Nevada it would be Catherine Cortez Masto,” Winfrey said. “And in Texas, Beto O’Rourke, and Raphael Warnock and the incredible Stacey Abrams, of course, in Georgia.”
“So there are clear choices out there and some dynamic candidates who are working to represent the values — this is what we’re talking about — the values that we hold dear, the values of inclusion, the values of compassion and community that so many of us share,” she continued. “So use your discernment, which seems to be missing in a lot of our, our our country today. Use your discernment and choose wisely for the democracy of our country.”
NBC News reported that the Pennsylvania Senate race is close, according to a number of polls conducted in recent days.
A Monmouth poll conducted Oct. 27-31 found 48% of voters in the state said they would definitely or probably vote for Fetterman, while 44% said they definitely/probably would vote for Dr. Oz. A Fox News poll had Fetterman at 45% and Oz at 42% among registered voters.
The Pennsylvania Senate race is among a handful of races that will decide the control of the Senate.
Fetterman has been the lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania since 2019. The politician has been recovering from a stroke he suffered in May.
Oz announced he was running for Senate last November. His daytime show, “The Dr. Oz Show,” came to an end in January.
Last month, Fetterman and Oz held their only debate, which included them speaking on abortion, fracking, minimum wage and more, NBC News reported.
Winfrey is not the only celebrity to get involved in the Pennsylvania race. In April, former President Donald Trump endorsed Oz.
The midterms are coming up on Nov. 8.
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY
