The Democrat Party may be looking for a leader ahead of 2028—but their base doesn’t want one. That was the stunning takeaway from former Bernie Sanders campaign staffer Tezlyn Figaro, who appeared on Fox News’ “Jesse Watters Primetime” and called out the party’s flailing attempts to rally behind a single candidate.

Asked if Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez excited her as a potential nominee, Figaro didn’t hold back.

“No, I’m not excited,” she said bluntly. “Good for her. Let her run. But no community that I organize in is talking about being excited about AOC.”

Figaro emphasized that while Ocasio-Cortez has a national profile, it doesn’t translate to genuine enthusiasm on the ground—especially among black voters. She pointed out that rallies held by both AOC and Bernie Sanders consistently fail to reflect real demographic diversity. According to her, it’s not a race problem—it’s a grassroots problem.

“The leader has to come from the grassroots, not an elected official,” she said. “Clearly they failed. So let’s go to the grassroots. Let’s see who’s available on the bench.”

The numbers back her up. A March CNN/SSRS poll found that over 30% of Democrat voters couldn’t name anyone they wanted to lead the party. Ocasio-Cortez pulled in just 10% among those who did name someone—a paltry showing for one of the most high-profile Democrats in the country.

Democrats are rapidly approaching a leadership vacuum. With Joe Biden out of the picture and Kamala Harris polling in the basement, the party has floated a familiar slate of names: Gavin Newsom, Bernie Sanders, Pete Buttigieg, and of course, AOC. But Figaro said what many in the base are thinking: the “celebrity” model of Democrat leadership is dead.

“Breaking news: nobody wants a name,” she said. “People want the name to be the actual people to deal with the issues.”

In other words, voters want substance over stardom—and they’re not getting it from the Democratic establishment.

As Watters pressed her on who excites her community, Figaro didn’t flinch.

“There is no name,” she said. “The grassroots is now currently looking for who is the next person that they can follow up the hill. And it is not any of these leaders, respectfully.”

The message couldn’t be clearer: Democrats don’t just have a messaging problem—they have an identity crisis. Despite nonstop media attention, their top figures don’t connect with the base. And while the party scrambles to hold onto its traditional voting blocs, those very blocs are slipping away.

A CNN poll from April found that 56% of Americans support mass deportation of illegal immigrants. Another survey showed Trump with a +12 net approval on border security. These aren’t fringe positions—they’re mainstream. And Democrats, stuck clinging to radical policies, are losing ground fast.

With no new blood and no message that resonates, insiders are starting to panic. And if the base refuses to rally behind AOC, Newsom, or Buttigieg, they may be facing a 2028 primary with no clear frontrunner—and even less enthusiasm.

As Figaro warned, “They’re just circling the wagons with the same old leadership over and over.”

Unless something changes fast, Democrats might not just lose the White House again. They might lose what’s left of their base too.