“President Oprah 2020: You get a healthcare plan, You get a healthcare plan, You all get healthcare plans! #Oprah2020,” one Twitter user wrote, adding to the hum of speculations that the media mogul would make a presidential run in 2020, following a riveting Golden Globes speech on Sunday.
While Winfrey has had a successful career as a businesswoman, philanthropist and an advocate for numerous social and political causes, political scientists and women’s studies scholars have mixed reactions about a potential presidential run for the talk-show host and billionaire.
“The praise for Oprah’s speech was illustrative of the desire for many Americans to hear a message that is both hopeful and also directly addresses what is currently one of the most salient issues in American society and American politics, which is addressing the imbalance of power between men and women that has allowed for an abusive environment in which women have been victim to sexual assault, sexual harassment and missed opportunities in the professional world,” said Dr. Kelly Dittmar, a scholar at the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) and an assistant professor of political science at Rutgers University-Camden.
Dittmar added that if Winfrey were to become a presidential candidate, it would be unwise, unfair and even “a little dangerous” for voters to immediately exclude her from the race or question her credentials. This is, in part, because many women of color often come into politics from diverse paths and routes, she added.
“By discounting certain routes to office, whether it be philanthropy, business or even entertainment, we may be missing out on a pool of women who could be quite successful both in campaigns and in what they do and what they could bring to political office…not just at the presidential level, but at all levels,” Dittmar said.
Despite the benefits that come with being an untraditional leader, some media pundits, social media users and other scholars are still holding out reservations about electing another celebrity figure to the top executive post, arguing that they lack the political experience necessary for office.
“I think Donald Trump has really sullied the office and it really helps me to understand why experience is the best teacher,” said Dr. Karsonya Wise Whitehead, an associate professor of communication and African and American Studies at Loyola University Maryland.
