Oprah 2020?
Speculation over a potential 2020 presidential run by Oprah Winfrey has surged on social media, with the hashtag #Oprah2020 trending following her Golden Globes speech Sunday night in which she delivered an assessment of the state of gender inequality, sexual harassment and race in America that quickly went viral.
Bay Area Democratic Congresswoman Jackie Speier joined in the crowd on social media calling on her to run.
“Run, Oprah, Run! An army of women would fight for you in #2020election,” Speier tweeted Monday morning, saying in a later tweet that “Oprah nailed it with her speech... She’s truly a genius of leadership and an inspiration for our country.”
Sen. Dianne Feinstein also weighed in Monday, telling Business Insider “Oprah is a well-known personality – no reason she shouldn’t if she wants to... People run all the time.”
California’s junior Sen. Kamala Harristweeted part of Oprah’s speech Sunday night, and ended it with a fist bump emoji.
She tweeted an excerpt:
“A new day is on the horizon, and when that new day finally dawns, it will be because of a lot of magnificent women...and some pretty phenomenal men fighting hard to make sure (that) they become the leaders (who) take us to the time when nobody ever has to say #MeToo again.”
In her speech, Oprah addressed sexual misconduct allegations that have exploded following the Harvey Weinstein scandal, saying women have lived “too many years in a culture broken by brutally powerful men.”
“For too long, women have not been heard or believed if they dare to speak the truth to the power of those men. But their time is up. Their time is up.”
The moment was also dampened, however, by photos circulating on Twitter of Oprah side-by-side with Weinstein.
Angela Hart: 916-326-5528, @ahartreports