Democratic super PAC launches ad touting Oprah Winfrey’s support of Fetterman

A Democratic super PAC has launched a new ad showcasing Oprah Winfrey’s endorsement of Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman (D) in the state’s Senate race over Republican Mehmet Oz, who appeared often on her hit daytime show.

The ad from the Senate Majority PAC states that Winfrey knows Oz “better than anyone” but would not vote for him. 

It cites comments that Winfrey made at a virtual town hall on Thursday, saying that if she lived in Pennsylvania, she “would have already cast her vote for John Fetterman.” 

The ad attacks Oz for “getting rich” from promoting “fake” medical cures and having called abortion “murder.” 

“No wonder Oprah opposes Oz,” the ad states. 

“If she doesn’t trust Oz, why should you?” it concludes. 

Oz often appeared on Winfrey’s talk show before starting his own program, “The Dr. Oz Show,” in 2009.

Oz’s show, which has received criticism for promoting certain products that he claimed could cause a medical “miracle,” ended in January after he announced his bid for Senate. Fetterman has sought to highlight this criticism on several occasions in the run-up to Election Day.

Fetterman led Oz throughout much of the race, casting him as an outsider hailing from New Jersey. But in recent weeks, Oz closed the gap and even overtook Fetterman for the lead in a poll from Emerson College and The Hill. 

Fetterman has faced scrutiny over the lingering effects of the stroke he had days before winning the Democratic primary. He often struggled to form clear sentences during his debate with Oz last month, but most respondents in a poll after the debate said it would not impact their decision on who to vote for. 

FiveThirtyEight’s polling average has Fetterman leading Oz by less than half a percentage point.