Oprah Will Campaign for Stacey Abrams On Thursday

Oprah is hitting the campaign trail in Georgia—sort of—to help Democratic gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams.

Abrams’s campaign hopes to gain momentum down the back stretch of her rematch with Republican incumbent Brian Kemp. The two debated head-to-head last Friday for the only time in the contest.

Winfrey will make an interview-style virtual campaign appearance with Abrams tomorrow evening, dubbed “Oprah Winfrey and Stacey Abrams Present: A Thriving Life”. The conversation won’t likely break any new ground, as they’re expected to talk about policy issues like healthcare, education and public safety that have been well-worn throughout the campaign. But by bringing in arguably the most recognizable and influential woman [yes, not just Black] in America, Abrams hopes to energize voters to get to the polls and cast ballots in her favor.

That Georgia is the most watched, if not the most important state in next months’ elections is an easy argument to make. The circus that is Herschel Walker’s U.S. Senate campaign punctuates Congressional midterms that will decide which party controls Congress, and thus whether President Joe Biden will be able to make good on new promises, like pushing for a law codifying a national right to abortion, or dormant ones from his 2020 campaign, like meaningful police reform.

Abrams’ gubernatorial bid won’t impact that, but if a Democrat were to win that race in the newly-purple state, it would signal that Republicans’ loss of both U.S. Senate seats there in 202o wasn’t just a temporary backlash against Trumpism, and that the party has bigger long-term problems in a once-reliable state.

Polls show Abrams down by about five points with early voting underway since Monday, and about three weeks left for both candidates to make their cases to voters.