Midterms 2018: Oprah supports Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams for 'men and women who were lynched'

Billionaire says historic vote to make Ms Abrams governor would mean previous 'sacrifices would not be in vain'

Oprah Winfrey called on voters in Georgia to honour the men and women "who were lynched...repressed and oppressed" and make history by backing Democrat governor candidate Stacey Abrams in next week's midterms.

Ms Abrams is seeking to become the first black female governor in US history and Winfrey said breaking such barriers was important for those "who were humiliated, who were discriminated against... I refuse to let their sacrifices be in vain."

Winfrey also put to rest any rumours she was there for a potential run herself at the event in Marietta, Georgia, north of Atlanta.

She said: "I want to make it very clear ... I don't want to run, okay? I'm not trying to test any waters. Don't want to go in those waters. I'm here today because of Stacey Abrams".

"I've earned the right to think for myself and to vote for myself, and that's why I am a registered Independent," the billionaire multimedia mogul said. Ms Abrams is running against Republican candidate and current secretary of state Brian Kemp.

It appeared to be a direct appeal to her own vast and diverse fan base to come and vote for Ms Abrams.

"Nobody paid for me to come here. Nobody even asked for me to come here. I paid for myself and I approve this message,” Winfrey said at the town hall event.

As she sat down with Ms Abrams on stage, the crowd chanted: “You get a vote! And you get a vote! And you get a vote!” parroting Winfrey’s characteristic enthusiasm when she would hand free items to audience members, like new cars, on her erstwhile television show.

Both born into poverty and partly raised in Mississippi, Winfrey said had been asking around for Ms Abrams number about three days ago.

She noted she had reached her when Ms Abrams was driving: “I called up Stacey Abrams and said ‘Stacey, this is Oprah.’ She said ‘Girl, let me pull over!’”

It was not all jokes though, Winfrey’s speech was a rallying cry to vote for those in the American South, particularly the descendants of African-American slaves.

“For those who ha[ve] an ancestor who didn't have the right to vote and you are choosing not to vote ... you are dishonoring your family, you are disrespecting and disregarding their legacy, their suffering and their dreams,” she said.

As much as Barack Obama’s election meant a great deal for African-Americans and other minorities, Ms Abrams’ win would be a major leap forward for black women who have historically been kept out of educational and professional opportunities as well as positions of power.

Several older black women The Independent encountered on the campaign trail in Georgia last week, those who had lived through the pre-1965 Jim Crow era when segregation was enshrined in law, could be seen holding back tears whenever Ms Abrams spoke.

Glenda Hatchett, the star of the television show Judge Hatchett, told The Independent: “as a black woman I want to be very clear that Stacey’s candidacy is about inclusion,” adding: “We will have a governor for all of Georgia.”

Winfrey addressed them as well, quoting her personal friend and legendary poet and author Maya Angelou.

She “used to say, “Baby, your crown has been paid for so put it on your head and wear it. The right to vote is your crown,” Winfrey said.

Addressing what critics have called divisive and even racist rhetoric of Republicans and, specifically, Donald Trump, Winfrey said “the vitriol and the ads, they are designed to confuse and confound you with fear” and asked Georgians to “vote your values…[and] conscience”.

But, Ms Abrams message on the campaign trail has been one not just aimed at women of colour.

“I don’t want people to vote for me because I’m black," she said, answering a previous question from The Independent during a campaign stop at the UpNext barber shop in southwestern Atlanta.

She wants people to vote for her because she will “uplift” all Georgians.