Oprah and the 2020 Election

J. Dan E. Maruska

Oprah Winfrey’s speech a the Golden Globe awards this past Sunday has prompted speculation that she will enter the 2020 presidential election. Reactions are divided, with some commentators objecting to what would be the third celebrity in just over thirty years to ascend to the office. But voters will primarily be looking for a person who can unite the nation’s long-divided political climate, and such concerns or technocratic experience will be secondary. If Ms. Winfrey can prove during the rigors of an election that she’s able to appeal to conservative voters, she will be the leading contender.