Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed brushed aside questions Sunday about his ties to far-left streamer Hasan Piker, telling CBS News’ Weijia Jiang on “Face the Nation” that voters in his state care about issues like grocery and gas prices, not “a Twitch streamer in California.”
Jiang had asked El-Sayed why he hasn’t directly called out Piker’s rhetoric, noting that Jewish voters in Michigan have raised concerns about his relationship with the streamer, who has appeared with him on the campaign trail. “There are Jewish voters in your state who are concerned about your relationship with Piker. You have condemned antisemitism but not called out his rhetoric directly. Why not?” she asked.
El-Sayed did not answer the question directly. Instead, he said the topic wasn’t coming up on the campaign trail.
“Weiija, with all due respect, this is the third time you’ve asked about a Twitch streamer in California. I’ve done four events in Michigan this week. You know what didn’t come up? Twitch streamers in California,” El-Sayed said.
He added: “I’m not interested in having a conversation about streamers in California because they are not raising the prices of gas and groceries.” He said voters were instead focused on grocery prices, healthcare and the environment.
Other Democrats have faced similar questions
El-Sayed isn’t the only Michigan Democrat who has pushed back on questions about Piker. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., last month told reporters to stop asking her about him, arguing that Republicans were trying to make the race about him rather than the issues.
During a student town hall with El-Sayed and Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., Dingell said: “I don’t agree with Hasan Piker on a lot of stuff, and I really don’t agree with him on some of the woman things he said. And I’m still trying to figure out, is it the reason he exercises and looks buff is why he has so many followers.”
Piker has openly backed El-Sayed’s campaign. During an August stream, he argued that Democrats who criticize El-Sayed from the center should face consequences within the party: “You can’t be out here saying like, ‘Oh, I’m a centrist Democrat. And I think Abdul is a bridge too far.’ That must be punished.”
Fallout from Piker’s Israel comments
El-Sayed had previously campaigned alongside Piker, but told Semafor in August he had “no plans” to do so going forward. That statement followed backlash over remarks Piker made on an Aug. 20 stream about American Jews and Israel.
“People don’t f— with Israel any longer. And if Jews in America keep putting this idea out there that they’re singularly invested in Israel, eventually someone will come around and take action not against Israel, mind you, but against American Jews,” Piker said.
Rep. Hillary Scholten, D-Mich., condemned the comments, describing Piker as “a hack who thrives on hate, shock and awe because he lacks substance.” Several other Democrats also criticized Piker’s remarks, including Sens. Cory Booker, D-N.J.; Jon Ossoff, D-Ga.; Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich.; and Jacky Rosen, D-Nev.; House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.; and Reps. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J.; Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y.; Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla.; Brad Schneider, D-Ill.; and Greg Stanton, D-Ariz.
El-Sayed responded to the controversy at the time without directly condemning Piker, instead denouncing antisemitism broadly. “I believe all Americans deserve the right to advocate for what they believe without fear of violence. This is particularly true for communities that have been intimidated for their beliefs in the past,” he wrote. “My commitment to Jewish safety is the same as my commitment to the safety of my own daughters. Antisemitism is a scourge, and we need to address it in all its forms. And I stand against any rhetoric that puts the community at risk.”
