The Oprah Winfrey-Cory Booker alliance explained

theGRIO REPORT - Why is Oprah Winfrey holding a fundraiser Thursday for Cory Booker, who has far more money than his three rivals in the Democratic primary for the Senate in New Jersey? Because she really, really likes him...

TheGrio Staff

Jul 31, 2013

Why is Oprah Winfrey holding a fundraiser Thursday for Cory Booker, who has far more money than his three rivals in the Democratic primary for the Senate in New Jersey and leads them by more than 30 points?

Because she really, really likes him.

“Cory Booker is a genius. I could sense it the first day I met him. His enormous intelligence is surpassed only by his heart. He is compassionate, committed, charismatic and generous of spirit. He defines servant leader,” the talk show host wrote in a Time piece two years ago, when the magazine listed him as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Booker has appeared in a long, one-on-one interview with Winfrey on her OWN network. In part because of her long-time alliance with the mayor, she donated $1.5 million in 2009 to a group of Newark non-profits.

For Oprah, this endorsement carries nothing close to the risk of her embrace of President Obama in 2007. Then, it was not clear if Obama would win or if would turn off Winfrey’s audience if she endorsed a candidate for the first time, particularly the only African-American in the race.

Now, Oprah is simply backing a politician who she has long known and backed and who has the support of nearly the entire Democratic establishment in New Jersey and across the country.

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The Oprah Winfrey-Cory Booker alliance explained

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