(NewsNation) — Oprah Winfrey, a registered independent, made a direct appeal to unaffiliated and undecided voters to back Kamala Harris, saying, “Decency and respect are on the ballot in 2024. … Character and values matter most of all.”
“Common sense tells you that Kamala Harris and Tim Walz can give you decency and respect,” Winfrey said during her DNC speech Wednesday, urging all voters to choose “common sense over nonsense.”
At the beginning of her speech, Winfrey spoke of enduring racism and sexism.
“In the words of an extraordinary American, the late Congressman John Lewis, he said, no matter what ship our ancestors arrived on, we are all in the same boat now.
“Congressman Lewis knew very well how far this country has come because he was one of the brilliant Americans who helped to get us where we are, but he also knew that the work is not done. The work will never be done because freedom isn’t free. America is an ongoing project. It requires commitment. It requires being open to the hard work and the hard work of democracy and every now and then, it requires standing up to life’s bullies.”
Winfrey also spoke of living in Mississippi, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Maryland, Indiana, Florida, Hawaii, Colorado, California and “sweet home, Chicago, Illinois.”
“I’ve actually traveled this country from the redwood forest, love those redwoods to the Gulf stream waters,” Winfrey said. “I’ve seen racism and sexism and income inequality and division. I’ve not only seen it; at times, I’ve been on the receiving end of it.”
“But more often than not, what I’ve witnessed and experienced are human beings, both conservative and liberal, who may not agree with each other, but who still help you in a heartbeat if you’re in trouble. These are the people who make me proud to say that I am an American.”
Winfrey also took a jab at Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, and his “childless cat lady” comments while addressing attendees at the DNC.
“When a house is on fire, we don’t ask about the homeowner’s race or religion. We don’t wonder who their partner is or how they voted. No,” Winfrey said. “We just try to do the best we can to save them.”
If the place “happens to belong to a childless cat lady,” Winfrey quipped, “well, we try to get that cat out, too,” she quipped.
The Associated Press and The Hill contributed to this report.