Colorado Democratic Rep. Jason Crow said Friday that left-wing streamer Hasan Piker could “possibly” help some Democratic House candidates win their races, but stressed the decision to campaign with him should rest with individual candidates rather than party leadership.
Crow, who oversees battleground House races for Democrats, made the comments during an appearance on CNN’s “CNN News Central.”
Co-host John Berman pressed Crow directly on how much he wanted Piker involved in Democratic campaigns. “I’m asking you this in your capacity as someone overseeing battleground states for House Democrats, how much do you want Hasan Piker campaigning with any Democrats going forward?” Berman asked.
Crow initially sidestepped the question, arguing that national media attention on coastal politics distracts from what actually matters in swing districts.
“There is this fascination and fixation on what’s happening in New York City, what’s happening on the coast, what’s happening outside of districts,” Crow said. “When you are running a battleground House race, it’s about that district.”
He said the candidates he has recruited are focused on local concerns, including lead contamination in school drinking water, farm irrigation repairs, and crumbling bridges. “That is the focus, and that’s why we’re going to win in those races,” he said.
When Berman followed up by asking whether there were districts where Piker’s involvement would actually help, Crow acknowledged it was possible.
“Possibly, possibly. That’s — that depends on the candidate, right? We are building a big tent right now, and that’s going to include a lot of different folks. And that’s up to individual candidates, who they want to have come in,” Crow said.
Crow said he advises the candidates he mentors to be selective about which surrogates appear with them, including himself. “What I always tell folks when I’m mentoring these candidates is make sure that, when somebody comes in for you, that it’s helpful, that it’s not more helpful for them than it’s helpful for you, and say no to surrogates actually, say no to people, right? And I’d tell them to say no to me. If I’m not helpful coming into a district, don’t have me come into the district, right?”
He added that candidates should avoid becoming “celebrity” figures. “We want real people, real servant leaders who are going to roll up their sleeves and govern and focus relentlessly on their districts,” Crow said. “That is still the beauty of the House of Representatives. You have 435 districts, about 800,000 per district. It’s like running for mayor of your district. It’s local. It’s focused on the interests of the people. That’s where it starts. That’s where it ends.”
