Have you noticed that the rise of antisemitism in the Democrat Party has been the elephant in the room as far as the media is concerned? They’ve basically been denying it’s a problem. They just don’t want to admit that the party that they support, that prides itself on tolerance, has become increasingly intolerant of Jewish people.
They may finally be starting to come around.
This week, CNN anchor Elex Michaelson sat down with Los Angeles County Republican Party Chair Roxanne Beckford Hoge and political commentator Eric Messersmith to hash out the Democrat Party's wide-open 2028 presidential field. The conversation landed, almost inevitably, on Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) and whether he can survive a party that can't agree on Israel.
Hoge wasn't buying the hype around Ossoff, despite his position as runner-up to Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) in the betting markets. "Polymarket and Kalshi are not polls," she said. "And the polling is completely upside-down." Then she connected his weak standing to something bigger than betting odds. "Given what we were talking about earlier with the far left and their little playing footsie with antisemites, I don't think Jon Ossoff is going to make it," Hoge said.
Michaelson offered a bit of pushback, crediting Ossoff's discipline on the campaign trail. "He's very good on being on message," Michaelson said. "He's very disciplined. He doesn't speak that much. And when he does, he stays on message." He wondered whether that discipline would hold up off-script, on a debate stage, in a race nobody has watched him run before.
Messersmith went further than either of them, framing Ossoff's Jewish identity as a political asset the Democrat Party might need. "He is Jewish," Messersmith said. "He might be the Democrat that can thread the needle. Because even though he's Jewish, he's very critical of the Israeli government, very critical of Benjamin Netanyahu. He has credibility on that issue." He suggested Ossoff could "fill that lane in between the two extremes of the Democratic Party."
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Hoge shut that theory down fast. "Ask Scott Wiener how that's working out for him," she said, pointing to the California state senator whose own Jewish identity hasn't spared him from far-left backlash over Israel, as we pointed out recently here at PJ Media.
Michaelson closed the segment with a line that said the quiet part out loud, contrasting Ossoff with Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-Pa.). "As a Jew, some people read a little more Jewish than other people," he said. "And Jon Ossoff may not read as Jewish as Josh Shapiro does, for whatever that's worth."
👀 CNN anchor Elex Michaelson at end of politics panel discussion re: Ossoff 2028:
— Jacob N. Kornbluh (@jacobkornbluh) July 2, 2026
“As a Jew, some people read a little more Jewish than other people. And Jon Ossoff may not read as Jewish as Josh Shapiro does, for whatever that’s worth.” pic.twitter.com/uUmn3jo35a
Boy, it’s hard to un-hear that. He literally said, “may not read as Jewish as.” Republicans have warned for years that the Democrat Party's coalition was drifting toward tolerance of antisemitism. Now you have a CNN anchor essentially admitting that Josh Shapiro is potentially viable in the Democrat Party 2028 presidential race because he essentially doesn’t come across as Jewish, which is to say that aside from having a traditionally Jewish surname, he doesn’t wear his religion on his sleeve.
Make no mistake about it, this wasn't a conservative commentator sounding an alarm on Fox News. This was CNN, live on the air, treating antisemitism inside the Democrat Party as a settled fact serious enough to determine who can win a presidential primary.
Again, not news to conservatives to have been calling this out for years, but it’s significant coming from CNN. Michaelson may not have said the Democrat Party is antisemitic in so many words. Still, he was essentially conceding the point by saying that Shapiro doesn’t come across as Jewish, and that makes him viable.
Remember, the Democrat Party built this coalition. It courted this faction, protected it, and made excuses for it. Now, its own anchors are asking whether a Jewish senator “reads” Jewish enough to overcome what his party has allowed to fester.
