Fox News host Jesse Watters is predicting Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will seek the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028.
Watters argued that the New York progressive is already making moves consistent with preparing a national campaign.
He pointed to Ocasio-Cortez’s staffing changes, national profile, and recent refusal to rule out a White House bid.
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Ocasio-Cortez, 36, has not announced a presidential campaign and says her immediate focus remains November’s midterm elections.
Still, she recently made clear that the White House remains possible when questioned directly about her plans beyond Congress.
“I haven’t ruled out the possibility,” Ocasio-Cortez said during an August appearance on ABC’s “This Week.”
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She also left open challenging Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer in 2028, saying “anything is possible at this juncture.”
Those comments intensified speculation surrounding one of the Democratic Party’s most recognizable progressive voices.
Watters argued her trajectory resembles presidential preparation, although he delivered that assessment with his characteristic on-air mockery.
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“As a Democrat, the dumber you are, the better you do. Think about it,” Watters told viewers.
“She’s ditzy. She’s said really stupid stuff. She’s done really stupid stuff. It propels Democrats,” he continued.
He called California Gov. Gavin Newsom the Democratic “favorite,” while mocking Newsom with the remark “he can’t even read.”
Newsom has publicly discussed his dyslexia, making Watters’ remark one of the sharper personal attacks during Monday’s commentary.
Watters claimed Sen. Bernie Sanders “doesn’t understand supply and demand” and attacked the economic policies of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
He called former President Joe Biden a “dunce,” arguing Democratic voters have repeatedly elevated politicians conservatives consider ideologically extreme.
Watters also targeted Democratic strategist David Plouffe, suggesting Plouffe’s favorable attention toward Ocasio-Cortez carries financial motivations.
“He’s fluffing her up because he wants to get hired,” Watters said about the former Obama campaign manager.
“Remember, all these Obama people stormed into the Kamala campaign, took a million-dollar check, and left. That’s what he’s doing.”
The original report noted Watters provided no documentation supporting his specific “million-dollar” characterization regarding those Democratic operatives.
WATCH:
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Axios reported Friday she is reorganizing her operation while weighing either a presidential campaign or a potential Schumer challenge.
Longtime campaign manager Oliver Hidalgo-Wohlleben is leaving in September after years serving as a senior adviser within her organization.
Chief of staff Mike Casca, a veteran of Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign, is taking an expanded role.
Ocasio-Cortez also renewed her membership in the Democratic Socialists of America after her national membership had lapsed.
That move reconnects her formally with the socialist organization that has helped propel progressive candidates across Democratic politics.
It also gives Republicans an obvious attack line should Ocasio-Cortez eventually seek the presidency.
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Early polling shows why Republicans cannot simply dismiss her national ambitions despite her progressive record and polarizing profile.
A Quantus Insights survey showed Vice President JD Vance leading Ocasio-Cortez 45.1% to 41.8% in a hypothetical matchup.
The 3.3-point difference roughly matched the poll’s reported 3.2-point margin of error, making the contest statistically competitive.
However, that survey showed Ocasio-Cortez third among Democratic primary voters, behind Pete Buttigieg and Jon Ossoff.
Buttigieg received 25.7%, Ossoff 21.3%, and Ocasio-Cortez 15.3%, while another 19.4% remained undecided among sampled Democrats.
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She has also presented herself as more pragmatic while distancing herself from some progressive rhetoric associated with Democrats after 2020.
Yet renewed DSA membership could complicate that repositioning as Republicans highlight socialism, spending, immigration, policing, and government expansion.
Ocasio-Cortez has neither announced a presidential campaign nor committed to remaining in the House beyond the current election cycle.
For conservatives, her candidacy would offer a stark ideological contrast with the America-first coalition built under President Donald Trump.
For Democrats, it would test whether their increasingly influential socialist wing can capture the nomination and compete nationally.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
