Abdul El-Sayed distances himself from Hasan Piker over comments on American Jews

Aug 24, 2026

Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed distanced himself from left-wing streamer Hasan Piker on August 24, 2026, following Piker's controversial livestream comments suggesting that American Jews' support of Israel would invite violence. El-Sayed, facing Republican Mike Rogers in a critical race, sought to downplay Piker's role after previously campaigning with him. Piker's remarks drew sharp condemnation from state Senator Jeremy Moss and Representative Hillary Scholten, highlighting deep divisions over Israel within Michigan Democratic politics.

El-Sayed distancing from Piker

▪Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed issued a statement on August 24, 2026, distancing himself from left-wing streamer Hasan Piker, stating that only he and his spokespeople speak for his campaign.
▪Abdul El-Sayed accused politicians and pundits of trying to make the Michigan Senate race about a Twitch streamer, downplaying Hasan Piker's significance to his campaign.
▪In his August 24, 2026 statement, Abdul El-Sayed affirmed his commitment to Jewish safety, comparing it to the safety of his own daughters, and condemned antisemitism and rhetoric putting the community at risk.
▪Prior to distancing himself, Abdul El-Sayed had campaigned alongside Hasan Piker, including walking into a Detroit event together on the eve of El-Sayed's primary victory and attending a pool party.

Piker remarks on American Jews

▪Hasan Piker argued during his livestream that tying Jewish identity to Israel makes antisemitism worse, comparing Israel to "Jewish ISIS."
▪Hasan Piker defended his remarks on August 23, 2026, on the social media platform X, arguing that falsely tying Israel to Jewish people increases antisemitism and that his comments were not a call for violence.
▪During a Twitch livestream, Hasan Piker stated that if American Jews continue promoting the idea that they are singularly invested in Israel, someone will eventually take action against American Jews.

Michigan Senate race implications

▪Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers criticized Abdul El-Sayed on social media, describing Hasan Piker as El-Sayed's "running mate" and calling on El-Sayed to disavow Piker once and for all.
▪Abdul El-Sayed is facing Republican former Representative Mike Rogers in the November 2026 Michigan Senate race, which is critical for the Senate majority.
▪Abdul El-Sayed's effort to distance himself from Hasan Piker comes as he seeks to broaden his support after a bruising Democratic primary and as Mike Rogers attempts to win over disappointed Haley Stevens voters.

Bipartisan criticism of Piker

▪Michigan Democratic Representative Hillary Scholten condemned Hasan Piker's remarks, calling him a "hack who thrives on hate, shock and awe" and urging everyone to call out his rhetoric.
▪Michigan State Senator Jeremy Moss denounced Hasan Piker's comments as an attempt to create further divisions, stating he would not be lectured by a California podcaster about what the Jewish community should believe.

Jeremy Moss controversy

▪During Hasan Piker's livestream, his stream displayed a social media post from the group Track AIPAC featuring Michigan State Senator Jeremy Moss, a Jewish supporter of Israel.
▪An audio clip circulated online claiming to feature Jeremy Moss stating the purpose of his campaign is to maintain U.S. support for Israel, which Moss denounced as fake and manipulated.
▪Jeremy Moss stated on August 24, 2026, that he has been in continual dialogue with Abdul El-Sayed regarding Jewish and Arab safety, but noted there is still work to do to unite the Michigan Democratic ticket.

Israel support in Democratic politics

▪Abdul El-Sayed has faced criticism from the Jewish community for declining to answer whether Israel has a right to exist during a June 2026 CNN interview and for his response to a March 2026 synagogue attack.
▪Abdul El-Sayed narrowly won a bitter Democratic primary against Representative Haley Stevens, a race marked by accusations of antisemitism and $30 million in spending by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).