Mike Pence Faces Off Against Oprah Winfrey As Each Stumps For Georgia Governor Candidate

Hot on the heels of Oprah Winfrey stumping with Democratic candidate for Georgia governor Stacey Abrams on Thursday, Vice President Mike Pence headed to Georgia on the same day to do some campaigning for President Trump’s endorsement for governor, Brian Kemp. The Inquisitr previously reported that media mogul Winfrey would be hosting two town hall meetings in Georgia with Stacey Abrams, and she even said that she may go door-to-door talking to voters about the reasons that they should vote for Abrams.

Oprah Winfrey’s involvement may up the ante for Abrams, who would become the first black female governor in the United States. After all, the former talk show host has previously used her celebrity clout in the successful campaign that saw America elect its first African-American president, Barack Obama. In response, the GOP has countered her strong presence in the election by sending the vice president to campaign in Georgia. The Republicans likely hope that Pence can stem the Democratic Party momentum which Winfrey brings to the election.

Vice President Pence is speaking at three events in conservative areas in Georgia, reports the AJC. Thursday’s events that he is campaigning at include an event at 11:30 a.m. in Dalton, and an appearance in Augusta at 2:30 p.m. Pence plans to end the day with a rally in Savannah at 5 p.m.

Vice President Pence has already created a stir during his speech in Dalton.

“I’d like to remind Stacey and Oprah and Will Ferrell, I’m kind of a big deal, too, and I’ve got a message for all of Stacey Abrams’ liberal Hollywood friends: This ain’t Hollywood. This is Georgia.”

Pence added the claim that Abrams’ campaign “is bankrolled by Hollywood liberals.”

The blasting of Will Ferrell by Pence comes in response to the comedian having campaigned for Abrams in Georgia.

Stacey Abrams and Brian Kemp have been battling one another in a contentious gubernatorial race. Among other things, Abrams’ camp has accused Kemp of race baiting, while his has accused her of playing the race card. According to recent polls, there is a very thin margin between each gubernatorial candidate, casting doubt as to who will take the electoral victory home. Both the Democrats and the Republicans are bracing themselves for a run-off in the event that neither Abrams nor Kemp secure a sizable majority.

Additionally, the GOP may find themselves in an uncomfortable place while pitting themselves against celebrities — particularly as it pertains to Georgia. Georgia has become known as the new Hollywood, and it has become a film-making boomtown due to a raft of tax credits which the GOP had previously touted. The tax credit gave “$2.7 billion in direct spending” to filmmakers, and other cost savings attracted industries responsible for filming blockbuster TV shows and movies such as The Walking Dead and Guardians of the Galaxy to Georgia.

Stacey Abrams warned that Brian Kemp would support the religious liberty bill. The bill is opposed by movie-making companies. Abrams claims that the bill could tear the entertainment industry apart. The debate over the religious liberty bill has been one of the most inflammatory issues in the gubernatorial race, with Stacey Abrams proclaiming its essence as “divisive and discriminatory.”

Brian Kemp spoke out in August, per the AJC, on proposals that would add provisions to the religious liberty bill. Kemp is quoted as saying that, if he is elected governor, he would veto any legislation that differed “from the federal version of the bill signed by President Bill Clinton.”