Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed moved to contain fallout from inflammatory comments made by far-left Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, insisting that only he and his campaign team speak for his bid. In a statement posted Monday, El-Sayed stressed his commitment to Jewish safety while stopping short of directly condemning Piker's remarks.
“My commitment to Jewish safety is the same as my commitment to the safety of my own daughters,” El-Sayed wrote. “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.” He added, “But I want to be crystal clear, nobody speaks for this campaign besides me and my campaign spokespeople.”
The controversy stems from a recent Twitch stream in which Piker, who has campaigned alongside El-Sayed, claimed U.S. support for Israel is unpopular. He suggested that if “Jews in America keep putting this idea out there that they are singularly invested in Israel, eventually someone’s going to come around and take action.” He clarified, “Not against the state of Israel, mind you, but against American Jews.”
Piker’s comments were triggered by a manipulated audio clip targeting Michigan House candidate Jeremy Moss, who is Jewish. The audio purportedly had Moss saying, “I would say that the entire purpose of my campaign is to make sure America continues to support Israel.” Moss, a Democrat, has denounced the clip as “political disinformation” designed to portray him as anti-American, pointing to “the lie of dual loyalty suggesting that Jews are never fully citizens of or loyal to their home countries.”
Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers seized on the controversy, seeking to link Piker to El-Sayed. “More calls for violence coming out of the El-Sayed campaign … Here is his running mate, Hasan Piker, saying that if AMERICAN JEWS support Israel, they will be violently targeted because of it,” Rogers wrote on X.
Rep. Hillary Scholten (D-Mich.), who backed El-Sayed’s primary opponent, Rep. Haley Stevens, also condemned Piker, calling him a “hack who thrives on hate, shock and awe because he lacks substance.”
El-Sayed’s statement did not explicitly rebuke Piker, and he has previously defended campaigning with the streamer despite Piker’s past controversial remarks, including saying America “deserved” the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Piker defended himself on X, arguing that “this isn’t a call for violence” and that “falsely tying israel to jewish people IS increasing antisemitism.”
El-Sayed pivoted to kitchen-table issues, saying, “And while politicians and pundits try to make this race about a Twitch streamer, we’re going to be talking about gas, groceries, good schools, and healthcare. Because that’s what Michiganders keep asking about. It’s why I’m fighting to get money out of politics, money in your pocket, and Medicare for All.”
The Michigan Senate seat, left open by retiring Democrat Gary Peters, is a prime Republican pickup target. The mounting controversies around Piker could complicate Democratic efforts to hold the seat in November. Recent polling shows El-Sayed holding a narrow edge over Rogers, but the race remains competitive. As other Democrats have argued, Piker's influence may not coexist with mainstream party politics. The episode underscores the tension between progressive activists and campaign pragmatism.
