Oprah Vs. Trump — Americans Weigh In: Marist Poll

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY — Americans love their Oprah, but maybe not so much as president. The former Queen of Daytime Television got lots of tongues wagging after her rousing speech at the Golden Globes Sunday, lighting a fire once again about a potential 2020 presidential run by the talk show host, actress and journalist. However, according to an NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist Poll, a majority of Americans said they do not want Oprah Winfrey to run for the highest office in the land.

When matched against President Donald Trump, 50 percent of registered voters said they would support Oprah, while 39 percent would vote for Trump. Eleven percent were undecided.

Support broke along party lines, with 91 percent of Democrats saying they would back Oprah, and 85 percent of Republicans saying they would support Trump.

Nearly one in 10 Republicans — 8 percent — thought they would vote for Oprah, and a plurality of independents, or 46 percent, said they would vote for Winfrey.

Notably, 17 percent of independents were undecided, the Marist Poll said.

But do Americans want to see Oprah on the presidential ballot?

A majority of Americans — 54 percent — do not want her to run, while 35 percent do and 11 percent are unsure.

African-Americans (63 percent) and Democrats (47 percent) are among those who would most like to see Oprah run in 2020.

“Americans’ message to Oprah is, ‘We like you, we would vote for you over Trump, but we don’t want you to run,’ ” said Dr. Lee M. Miringoff, director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion.

“The biggest gap occurs among Democrats,” he said.

While 91 percent of Democrats would vote for her, only 47 percent of them wanted her to run for president, Miringoff said.

Americans under 45 (58 percent) and women (59 percent) were more likely than older Americans (44 percent) and men (40 percent) to support Oprah.

Of note, the Marist Poll found, voters 45 or older are just as likely to support Trump: 45 percent.

Winfrey also leads the president among African-Americans and Latinos. She received the support of 87 percent of African-American voters and 61 percent of Latinos.

White voters divide almost equally between the two, with Trump coming out 1 percentage point ahead: 45 to 44.

The Marist Poll, done in collaboration with NPR and PBS NewsHour, was a survey of 1,350 adults conducted between Jan. 8 and Jan. 10. For complete methodology, go here.

Photo caption: Oprah Winfrey arrives at Selma And The Legends That Paved The Way Gala on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2014, in Goleta, Calif. Photo credit: Richard Shotwell/Invision/Associated Press.