Comedy Central host Charlamagne Tha God sounded the alarm for Democrats that they have "nobody" who can win the presidency in 2024.
During a panel discussion about the midterms on Thursday's installment of "Hell of a Week," Charlamagne acknowledged Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is "looking strong" after he won re-election by a nearly 20-point margin, saying he's "like Trump but with a functioning bladder."
While he speculated whether DeSantis is able to "take the party away" from former President Donald Trump, one thing Charlamagne seemed certain of was that neither one of them will face a formidable Democratic foe in the next election cycle.
"We know in 2024, it's gonna be DeSantis or Trump, but I think what should scare people is that the Democrats don't got nobody," Charlamagne said.
"So I disagree with that," Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., pushed back.
"Who do you think the Democrats got?" Charlamagne asked.
"I think we have a long bench," Bowman responded. "So we have Elizabeth Warren, who's a possibility-"
"C'mon," Charlamagne mocked the suggestion.
Bowman also floated Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, even himself.
"You think America is ready to vote for a progressive like that?" Charlamagne asked about Ocasio-Cortez.
"Absolutely, absolutely," Bowman responded. "The largest growing voting block in the country are millennials and Gen Z. That's her base, that's her generation, she could absolutely get it done."
"And again, Jamaal Bowman might be on the ballot in 2024. Who knows," Bowman continued. "It's about shifting the consciousnesses of America and painting a vision of what's possible. No one on the Republican side can do that and no tradition Democrats are doing that like our more progressive base in the House.
"I mean this respectfully, I ain't hearing nobody that can beat DeSantis and Trump," Charlamagne told the lawmaker.
Charlmagne later swiped Democrats for taking a victory lap following the results of the midterm elections, which can still result in Republicans retaking Congress.
"That's not a win if the GOP gets the House and the Senate," the Comedy Central host said.
Bowman responded by pointing out how Republicans came drastically short of the "red wave" that was expected, saying their potential single-digit gains in the House of Representatives "is not a win."
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"That means they still have to work with us to get things done in the House, especially when you have a Democratic president," Bowman said. "There was a red wave in New York state though, which is very problematic because this is a Democratic state… and it's because Democrats continued to out-Republican the Republican."
"What does that mean?" Charlamagne asked.
"So, you know, we take their narrative on crime, for example, and try to tell it in a better way when we should be, again, shifting the consciousness of focusing on poverty, focusing on mental health, focusing on substance abuse, focusing on the issues that we know lead to crime in the first place and focusing on rehabilitation," Bowman said. "Democrats have failed at that and we failed, to your point, of connecting to the grassroots and connecting with real people in the hood who have been disengaged. We have to do a better job of targeting them and bringing them into the process."
As Bowman pointed out, Republicans made big gains in New York despite falling short at the top of the ticket.
While GOP gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin failed to oust Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, he is being credited for helping carry several House candidates to flip blue seats red.
Among them are Rep.-elect Mike Lawler, who defeated Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, the head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in charge of getting his party's candidates over the finish line.
