CNN anchor Elex Michaelson drew criticism on social media and from commentators for remarks he made comparing the perceived Jewish identity of Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.

During a discussion on CNN's "The Story Is" regarding potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidates, Michaelson suggested that Ossoff "may not read as Jewish as Josh Shapiro does." The anchor made the comment while assessing Ossoff's potential strengths and weaknesses as a candidate, noting his discipline and message control but questioning his debate stage experience.

Eric Messersmith, a radio host and guest panelist on the show, had spoken about Ossoff's potential to address divisions within the Democratic Party regarding Israel. Messersmith stated that Ossoff, despite being Jewish, has been critical of the Israeli government and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which could give him credibility on the issue and help bridge ideological divides within the party.

Michaelson then interjected with his observation about how Jewish individuals are perceived, adding, "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." He accompanied this with a "don't shoot" gesture.

The comments quickly drew sharp reactions from various political figures and commentators. Meghan McCain, a conservative commentator, and Ryan Grim, co-founder of Drop Site News, both posted on X (formerly Twitter) with the simple query, "What are we doing?"

David Friedman, former U.S. ambassador to Israel under President Trump, called Michaelson's words "most dangerous and offensive."

Others offered differing perspectives. Podcaster Josh Barro suggested that Shapiro's "high level of religious observance" could help him be coded as moderate and appeal to swing voters, referencing Shapiro's expected landslide re-election victory. However, Ron Kampeas, a retired journalist for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, pushed back against Michaelson's premise. "My job for 21 years was to write about how Jews ‘read,’" Kampeas wrote. "Ossoff and Shapiro both ‘read’ as Jews – we’re a diverse bunch. Let’s drop this litmus test crap and assess on policies, integrity etc."

Dan Senor, a former foreign policy advisor to Mitt Romney, commented that it was "crazy that this just counts as normal punditry these days."