El-Sayed says he has ‘no plans’ to campaign with Piker

Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed says he has “no plans” to campaign with left-wing streamer Hasan Piker after a slew of Democratic lawmakers criticized Piker for his remarks on American Jews supporting Israel.

During an interview with Semafor in the Detroit suburbs, El-Sayed denied that Piker will play a role in his race against former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.), in the fight to succeed outgoing Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.).

“Most people are a lot more worried about things like, what are you going to do about my groceries? What are you going to do about my healthcare? What are you going to do about the fact that I cannot afford [to enroll] my kid in baseball, even though my kid’s a really great baseball player?” El-Sayed told the outlet.

“Those are the things I’m talking about, and the effort to make this race about a streamer in LA [Los Angeles] is actually kind of laughable,” he added, referring to Piker.

Piker, a left-wing commentator with 1.7 million followers on the social platform X, recently said that while Jewish Americans do not automatically support the Israeli government, “Jewish institutions” are “teaching people the idea that Jews are monolithic.”

He said on a livestream, “If Jews in America keep putting this idea out there that they are singularly invested in Israel, eventually someone is going to come around and take action, not against the state of Israel, mind you, but against American Jews,” while displaying a photo of Michigan state Sen. Jeremy Moss (D) and his contributions from “pro-Israel” donors.

Moss, who is Jewish and broadly supports Israel, is running to succeed Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.), whom El-Sayed defeated in the Democratic Senate primary earlier this month.

Forty percent of religious Jews feel very or extremely emotionally attached to Israel, while 11 percent of secular Jews felt that way, based on a poll The Associated Press-NORC conducted in June.

Piker’s remarks drew backlash from a lengthy list of Democratic officials, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.).

“The malicious claim that American Jews are inviting violence against themselves is dangerous and antisemitic,” Jeffries wrote Monday on X . “There is zero justification for threats against the safety of our Jewish brothers and sisters at a moment of rising hate.

“We will fight the cancer of antisemitism with the fierce urgency of now.”

El-Sayed also publicly disagreed with Piker’s comments, saying in a Monday statement he believes “all Americans deserve the right to advocate for what they believe without fear of violence.

The progressive candidate added, “This is particularly true for communities that have been intimidated for their beliefs in the past. 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.”

During the Democratic primary, Piker joined El-Sayed on the campaign trail — continuing his trend of backing left-wing candidates across the country. The streamer has blasted the Israeli government’s military campaign in Gaza, calling it a “genocide.”