--- title: Oprah Winfrey Responds to 'Racist Robocalls' in Georgia description: Oprah Winfrey responded late Monday to reports of "racist robocalls" targeting Georgia voters in the lead-up to mid-term elections canonical: https://time.com/5445808/oprah-winfrey-response-racist-robocalls/ author: TIME Staff article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-11-06T06:37:27.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:53:07.025Z article:section: Politics og:title: Oprah Winfrey Responds to 'Racist Robocalls' in Georgia og:description: The racist recordings target gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams og:url: https://time.com/5445808/oprah-winfrey-response-racist-robocalls/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6dd32d8d096c4aee/69893e5422fb854cf5e2712a/gettyimages-1056086736.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: Oprah Winfrey Campaigns With Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Stacey Abrams og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Oprah Winfrey Responds to 'Racist Robocalls' in Georgia twitter:description: The racist recordings target gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6dd32d8d096c4aee/69893e5422fb854cf5e2712a/gettyimages-1056086736.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Oprah Winfrey Responds to 'Racist Robocalls' Targeting Stacey Abrams in Georgia > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: Oprah Supports Stacey Abrams for Georgia Governor in Rare Campaign Appearance [Watch (HLS stream): Oprah Supports Stacey Abrams for Georgia Governor in Rare Campaign Appearance](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/82gNLf2e.m3u8) (2:50)  _Published 2018-11-01. In a rousing speech in the Republican-leaning suburbs of Atlanta, Oprah Winfrey urged voters on Thursday to make history by backing Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams in next week’s election._ by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Nov 6, 2018 6:37 AM UTC  Oprah Winfrey and Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams at a town hall style event at the Cobb Civic Center in Marietta, Georgia on Nov. 1, 2018. Oprah Winfrey and Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams at a town hall style event at the Cobb Civic Center in Marietta, Georgia on Nov. 1, 2018. Jessica McGowan—Getty Images by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Nov 6, 2018 6:37 AM UTC Oprah Winfrey responded late Monday to reports of “racist robocalls” targeting Georgia voters in the lead-up to mid-term elections. The offensive automated phone call uses derogatory language to refer to Winfrey and Stacey Abrams, the Democratic candidate for Georgia governor. Winfrey has campaigned for Abrams, the former minority leader for her state’s House of Representatives. “I heard people were making racist robocalls in my name, against Stacy Abrams, who I am 100% for in Georgia,” Winfrey said in a video shared to her Instagram account. “I just want to say, Jesus don’t like ugly. And we know what to do about that: Vote.” A voice heard in the [offensive recording](https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2018/11/06/stacey-abrams-racist-robocall-oprah-response-ac360-sot-vpx.cnn), which was aired on CNN, told listeners: “This is the magical negro, Oprah Winfrey, asking you to make my fellow negress, Stacey Abrams, governor of Georgia.” According to the Hill, the calls [surfaced last week](https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/414703-abrams-targeted-by-racist-robocall-in-georgia) and are believed to have originated from a video podcasting site that has been [labeled as white supremacist](https://www.adl.org/blog/the-road-to-power-idaho-outfit-behind-rash-of-racist-anti-semitic-robocalls) and anti-semitic by the Anti-Defamation League. The website, TheRoadToPower.com, was [also behind](https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/andrew-gillum-racist-robocall%5Fus%5F5bcf47a2e4b055bc9485320d) a racist attack against Florida gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum, according to the Huffington Post. ## Transcript For anybody here who has an ancestor who didn't have the right to vote, and you are choosing not to vote wherever you are in this state, in this country, you are dishonoring your family. [ APPLAUSE ] We didn't have a Voice and now we do. Women, people, women we as people need to stand united and vote our values. Vote your values, vote your conscience. All the noise, all the noise you just can not get away from it, You turn on the TV, on the web, it is so much noise and crazy talk. All the vitriol in the ads, you know what they are designed to confuse, and confound you with fear. That's what they're doing. They're designed to confound you with fear. They are not designed for people with discernment. Women people we have discernment, [ APPLAUSE ] and when you know the right thing, and you can feel it, you can feel what is the right thing to do, you can't be influenced by propaganda and fear. I'm here today to support a changemaker. [ APPLAUSE ] [ APPLAUSE ] She's a woman who dare believe that she could change the state of Georgia. [ APPLAUSE ] And that she is dynamic, she is so inspired and inspiring, she [ UNKNOWN ] [ APPLAUSE ] And bodacious. [ APPLAUSE ] She's a Georgia warrior woman. Ladies and gentlemen, Stacey Abrams. [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] That's your mum and dad. Hey mum and dad, [ UNKNOWN ] [ UNKNOWN ] [ UNKNOWN ] [ APPLAUSE ] [ APPLAUSE ] Stacey. Sorry. [ APPLAUSE ] Wait, wait, wait. Thank you, guys. Thank you, guys, so much. You're beautiful, lady. Aww. [ APPLAUSE ] Beautiful. [ APPLAUSE ] You get a vote. You get a vote. And you get a vote. And you get a vote. [ APPLAUSE ] All right, spread the word. [ APPLAUSE ] Great to be here with you. 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