Jon Ossoff 'may not read as Jewish' as Josh Shapiro for 2028 odds; CNN panel discusses
A panel on CNN's ‘The Story Is with Elex Michaelson’ discussed Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff's chances of becoming president compared to Gov. Josh Shapiro.
CNN's "The Story" host Elex Michaelson remarked how Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff "may not read as Jewish" as potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidates like Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro during Tuesday night's show.
During a panel with Los Angeles County Republican Party Chair Roxanne Beckford Hoge and political commentator Eric Messersmith, the three discussed Ossoff's chances of becoming a presidential candidate after recent betting odds websites placed him second behind California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Hoge expressed doubts that Ossoff could overcome the Democratic Party "playing footsie with antisemites" to become a candidate, but Messersmith defended Ossoff as disciplined and very "on message" despite being untested on the national stage.
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A CNN panel discussed Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff's chance of running for president in 2028. (Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg/Getty Images)
"But on the Jewish thing, because he is Jewish, 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," Messersmith said.
"He has credibility on that issue. So, it’s possible — I think he could fill that lane in between the two extremes of the Democratic Party."
Michaelson responded, "Yeah, 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."
Fox News Digital reached out to Shapiro and Ossoff's offices for comment.
Michaelson and Messersmith's comments received some backlash for appearing to rank Democratic candidates on how "Jewish" they appear.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro speaks during a re-election campaign kickoff event in Philadelphia, Pa., Jan. 8, 2026. (Rachel Wisniewski/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
"What exactly are we doing here?" conservative commentator Meghan McCain asked.
Targeted Victory Vice President Logan Dobson wrote, "what a deeply weird place the democratic party is in on this issue."
"CNN anchors, chatting casually: 'There’s the acceptable Jew, you know the one who denounces Netanyahu and Israel.' 'What about Scott Wiener?' 'Oh… hahaha. Guess there’s no acceptable Jew,'" Boundless Israel CEO Aviva Klompas commented.
Former U.S. ambassador David Friedman wrote, "Most dangerous and offensive words in the modern vernacular: 'As a Jew…'"
Anti-Israel candidates have been on a victory streak within the Democratic Party. (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
After the clip was shared across social media, Michaelson apologized for his comments on X.
"I apologize. I made a comment that was offensive. Going forward, I’ll do better," Michaelson wrote.
Though running for re-election as governor, Shapiro has emerged as a potential 2028 presidential candidate in a crowded field. However, his Jewish background and support for Israel have drawn backlash from far-left critics.
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Ossoff also faces re-election in November amid suggestions he could run for president in 2028. However, he has repeatedly denied he has any plans to run in the near future.
