Oprah Winfrey interviews Mitt, Ann Romney

Oprah Winfrey interviews Mitt, Ann Romney

The Capitol Column | Staff | Sunday, July 15, 2012
Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and his wife Ann sat down for an interview with Oprah Winfrey Friday, at their lakefront home in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, where Mr. Romney was vacationing for a week.

Details on the interview have not been released yet, as it is scheduled to appear in an upcoming edition of O, The Oprah Magazine. The Oprah interview comes following an appearance at the NAACP Convention where Mr. Romney was met with boos, and during another week where the former Massachusetts governor has continued to deal with criticism about his tenure at Bain Capital and his
refusal to release additional years of tax returns.

Ms. Winfrey was one of the more active supporters of President Barack Obama during his 2008 election campaign, though in 2012 she has been less active in her support of the president.
“I’m 100 percent behind our president,” said Ms. Winfrey during a CBS interview in April. “I actually love our president, and have the utmost respect for him and that office and what it takes to be there.”

According to Politico, the former day time talk-show host has donated a substantial amount of money to the Democrats and Mr. Obama’s campaign in 2012. She has reportedly given $35,800 to the Obama Victory Fund and $10,000 to the Obama campaign, as well as another $30,800 to the Democratic National Committee.

The interview gives Mr. Romney another chance to engage a prominent Obama supporter, following a dismal performance at the NAACP Convention. The Romney campaign team has been very selective in granting interviews for the Bain Capital co-founder, as the majority of his interviews have been conducted with Fox News. However, they likely viewed the interview with The Oprah magazine as an opportunity to humanize their candidate by doing a joint interview with his wife while they were on vacation.

The unreleased interview is likely to give viewers a glimpse into who Mr. Romney might choose as his vice presidential running mate. In recent weeks, the former Massachusetts governor has been rumored to be considering former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice as a possible running mate. Other names high on the Romney VP short list include former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels and Ohio Senator Rob Portman who recently criticized the Obama administration while delivering the weekly Republican address.