Fetterman says he ‘can’t compete’ with Piker: ‘Base loves him’

Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman (D) on Thursday said he feels like he has “lost to Hasan Piker,” following the popular left-wing streamer’s recent comments about the Islamic militant group al Qaeda.

“He’s an individual that just declared that we are worse than al Qaeda,” Fetterman told Fox News’s Chad Pergram. “And Democrats are campaigning with him, defending him, and my — our base loves him. So, I mean, I can’t compete with that.”

During a recent interview with Axios, Piker argued that the U.S. commits more terrorism than al Qaeda.

“Pound for pound as far as the number of deaths, yes,” the progressive pundit said. “We have caused tremendous terror all around the world.”

Piker, who is one of the most popular streamers on the social media app Twitch, campaigned with Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed (D) in the Democratic primary.

Republicans have criticized the Senate hopeful for his association with the streamer, running ads featuring Piker’s 2019 statement that “America deserved 9/11.” He later apologized for the messaging.

The GOP’s official account on the social platform X posted the clip of Piker’s latest rhetoric on Thursday, writing, “Every single Democrat who is supported by this garbage can of a human being must condemn him immediately.”

In a statement to Axios on Wednesday, El-Sayed said he disagreed with Piker’s comments, adding that he did not “give much weight to the statements made by a social media streamer.”

“I am more concerned with the dangerous policies of Donald Trump and Mike Rogers that are raising the prices of gas, groceries and healthcare for Michiganders,” he said.

The Senate hopeful also noted late last month that he has “no plans” to campaign with the pundit as the midterms draw closer, and he called their association irrelevant to his Senate bid.

El-Sayed posted a slight lead over former Rep. Mike Rogers (Mich.), his Trump-backed Republican challenger, in a recent survey from The Hill/Emerson College Polling. The populist candidate held a 2-point advantage over the former GOP lawmaker in the poll.

The Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan election handicapper, rates the race as a “toss up.”