Fox News personality Jesse Watters was criticized after he absurdly demanded that single women "get married" so they stop voting for Democrats.
Watters' remark came as Fox News hosts collectively reeled over midterm election results, which did not result in the "red wave" Republican legislators and pollsters had predicted.
A visibly annoyed Watters blamed single women and voters under the age of 40 for the election results, suggesting that these consequences could be avoided if single women get married and “settle down” because they have for the time being been "captured" by Democrats.
All the while, a Fox News chyron cautioned that young, single women are voting "overwhelmingly" for the Democratic Party.
You can hear what he said in the video below.
\u201cFox's Jesse Watters: "... But single women and voters under 40 have been captured by Democrats. So we need these ladies to get married. And it's time to fall in love and just settle down. Guys, go put a ring on it."\u201d— The Recount (@The Recount) 1668082792
Watters said:
"Single women are breaking for Democrats by 30 points and this makes sense when you think about how Democratic policies are designed to keep women single."
"But once women get married, they vote Republican. Married women, married men go for Republicans by double digits."
"But single women and voters under 40 have been captured by Democrats so we need these ladies to get married and it's time to just fall in love and settle down."
"Guys, go put a ring on it."
Polls over the years have demonstrated that women do tend to vote for Democrats. Data also suggests that women turn out to vote in greater percentages than men and did so for these midterm elections. In fact, exit polls show that more than half of the women surveyed voted for Democrats.
Reproductive freedom was very much on the ballot, particularly since the Supreme Court overturned long-established precedent on abortion and reproductive rights over the summer. For months, Democrats courted women voters, urging them not to vote for a party that has vowed to impose a federal ban on abortion should they take back congressional control.
But Watters' suggestion to Fox News viewers went beyond the pale, disturbing many critics.
\u201cThis is emblematic of a concept that I've hated ever since I was eighteen: the notion that conservatism is the "mature" view and anything else was a just a phase you went though.\u201d— TheDiva (@TheDiva) 1668182565
\u201cWords fail.\u201d— Melissa Murray (@Melissa Murray) 1668113673
\u201cFunny. \nI was a young adult, and voted Dem.\nI was married, and voted Dem.\nI had 3 kids, and voted Dem.\nI\u2019m divorced, and voted Dem.\nIt\u2019s almost like\u2026I\u2019ve been voting my values this whole time, coupled or not.\n\nSo weird.\ud83e\udd14\u201d— Kristin Karnitz (@Kristin Karnitz) 1668123111
\u201cMy tubes just tied themselves.\u201d— Colleen Doran (@Colleen Doran) 1668117042
\u201cJust a thought here but maybe treating women like they\u2019re property is why you\u2019re losing their votes.\u201d— Kyle Potter (@Kyle Potter) 1668119544
\u201cThis has a Birth of a Nation vibe. And now @FoxNews hosts are telling you to change your entire personal life for their political advantage. And look at how much they hate single women! Gee, I wonder why they don\u2019t vote for your side.\u201d— Cenk Uygur (@Cenk Uygur) 1668124533
\u201cSo you agree, marriage is a patriarchal trap\u201d— Noxeema \ud83c\udf4dJackson (@Noxeema \ud83c\udf4dJackson) 1668135255
\u201c\u201cSingle women have been CAPTURED by Democrats, so we need these women to get married\u201d one of the most simultaneously hilarious and horrifying things I\u2019ve heard in a bit . Its\u2019s the eye of the storm\u2026 makes me want to burn bras all over again but since COVID we can\u2019t find them\ud83d\ude02\u201d— Mary McDonnell (@Mary McDonnell) 1668166593
\u201cFox News thinks forcing women to get married will domesticate women and cause them to become Republicans. Stay feral my sisters!\u201d— Sgt Joker (@Sgt Joker) 1668175649
Watters' remarks proved so notable that they were recently featured in a supercut video of Fox News hosts' reactions to the midterm election results.
The video was compiled by Kat Abu, who works for Media Matters for America (MMA), a politically left-leaning 501, nonprofit organization and media watchdog group.
Watters' statements are shown alongside others from Fox News hosts and commentators like Will Cain, Tammy Bruce, Steve Doocy, and Sean Hannity who were simultaneously surprised yet eager to cast the results as an actual loss for the Democratic Party.
