O’Reilly: Republicans ‘still running in the old model’

Political commentator Bill O’Reilly said Tuesday that Republicans have not updated their framework to efficiently fight against the current iteration of the Democratic Party.

“But the movement that the Democratic Party represents to the far, far left, that’s new. And, the Republicans have not really seized upon it yet,” O’Reilly said during an appearance on NewsNation’s “On Balance.”

“They’re still running in the old model of, ‘Vote for me and I’ll set you free,’ OK? And it’s names on a ballot,” he told host Leland Vittert. “It’s not what’s happening here. People have to decide what kind of country they want to live in. Do you want to live in a country run by Democrats who are going to continue taxation forever?”

In the last few months, progressive insurgent candidates, including democratic socialists , have locked down victories in Democratic primaries in places ranging from Michigan to Colorado, defeating more establishment candidates.

More moderate figures in the party, like Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), have pushed back against rising momentum on the left, as a growing rift within the caucus comes into view.

And some progressives have seen their stars rise in the last few years, with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) now one of the most prominent faces in the party after winning his election last year and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) being discussed as a potential 2028 presidential candidate .

In a poll released last month, Democrats had a more favorable view of socialism versus capitalism , with more than half of respondents in the party seeing the ideology in a “very positive” or “somewhat positive” light.