Oprah Winfrey Becoming A Politician And Replacing A Controversial Democrat?
Oprah Winfrey is being named as a possible successor to California Senator Dianne Feinstein.
Plenty of celebrities have suggested that they are willing to throw their hat in the political ring, and some, like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Donald Trump, even go through with it. But could Oprah Winfrey be the next celebrity to add her name to that list? According to the Independent, Winfrey is amongst a list of names that could potentially replace the California Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein, who has faced voter concerns over her age and cognitive abilities.
Oprah Winfrey is known for her long-running talk show hosting gig and her multi-billion dollar net worth thanks to her talk show and various other business ventures. Gavin Newsom, the Governor of California, had previously pledged to appoint a black woman to the Senate seat if he ends up needing to name a successor. Winfrey would meet this requirement while also being a popular favorite celebrity who had actually considered running for office before (but apparently changed her tune after Trump’s presidential run).
It remains unknown if Oprah Winfrey would even be willing to accept the position if it’s offered to her. As for Feinstein, the California Senator recently became the longest-serving Democrat in the current US Senate. She also has faced recent health complications due to shingles.
Reportedly, Feinstein also suffered Ramsay Hunt syndrome and encephalitis from her diagnosis. Feinstein also returned to the Senate last month but denied she was ever absent. Her advanced age (89) and instances like this have caused voters to demand her replacement with someone like Oprah Winfrey or one of the numerous other possible candidates on the alleged list.
Oprah Winfrey may not have much experience in the actual political arena, but she has endorsed numerous Democratic candidates in the past and taken part in activist movements to encourage people to vote. Winfrey would publically endorse a candidate for the first time when she endorsed Barack Obama for his 2008 Presidential run. Some economists even estimated that Winfrey’s endorsement may have garnered Obama over a million votes in the Democratic primary race.
This endorsement led to the first time that Oprah Winfrey was officially offered a Senate seat. The governor of Illinois at the time, Rod Blagojevich, offered her Obama’s vacant seat since he was so impressed by her endorsement. Winfrey ended up turning down the Senate seat but indicated that she did feel like she could be a Senator.
Perhaps if Oprah Winfrey is offered the Senate seat in California, she might actually accept the offer this time. Then again, she could have the same response and decide to opt-out once again. Clearly, Winfrey does have some political sway if her endorsement is enough to encourage a significant portion of the voting population to vote for her candidate.
In 2016, Oprah Winfrey would go on to endorse Hillary Clinton and was not in favor of a Trump presidency. Winfrey would also donate $500,000 to a student demonstration in favor of gun control and would organize the non-partisan OWN Your Vote group in 2022 to encourage voter registration and give black women the resources they need to get out and vote. Clearly, Winfrey has some political acumen, but it remains to be seen if she decides she wants to use that in an actual Senate seat.
