Representative Hillary Scholten (D-Mich.) is refusing to commit to supporting Abdul El-Sayed should he win the Democratic primary for Michigan's open Senate seat, citing his decision to campaign alongside left-wing Twitch streamer Hasan Piker and disgraced former Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner.
In an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper on Wednesday, Scholten, who has endorsed Representative Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) in the race to succeed retiring Senator Gary Peters, took aim at El-Sayed's associations. The age-driven Democratic primary dynamics have put a spotlight on candidate alliances, and Scholten made clear she sees El-Sayed's choices as a liability.
Scholten specifically pointed to comments Piker made about the September 11 attacks. “He chose to campaign with Hasan Piker, who said America deserved Sept. 11,” Scholten said. “Sure, he went on to disavow those comments, but I'm telling you, nobody on my team would ever, you know, come even close to making a comment like that.”
Piker, a prominent progressive streamer, apologized for the remarks in 2019, calling them “inappropriate.” In an interview with fellow commentator Cenk Uygur, Piker said, “I should've used more precise and better use of the language there.” Scholten acknowledged the apology but argued that El-Sayed didn't have to partner with Piker in the first place.
El-Sayed has refused to disavow Piker's views, dismissing such questions as a “gotcha game.” He has defended his appearance with Piker at Michigan State University during the campaign. Meanwhile, Scholten also highlighted El-Sayed's connection to Platner, who won the Maine Senate Democratic primary before dropping out amid allegations of sexual misconduct from past partners. While El-Sayed and Platner never campaigned together, they did “split send two fundraising emails,” according to Semafor's David Weigel.
Scholten framed the issue in broader terms for the party. “I think that condoning behavior like this from candidates like Abdul El-Sayed is taking us in a direction that we don't want to go as a party,” she said. “I don't need $20 million to study why young men stopped voting for the Democratic Party. Look at the message that we're sending to our veterans if we're willing to embrace or even brush aside comments like that. I would never stand on a stage or be at a rally with someone like Hasan Piker because he chose to say comments like that.”
The primary has drawn national attention, with Governor Gretchen Whitmer backing Stevens and figures like Minnesota Senator Tina Smith supporting El-Sayed. Scholten's refusal to back the primary winner underscores the internal tensions within the Michigan Democratic Party as it navigates a competitive open-seat race.
