Democratic Senate nominee in Michigan Abdul El-Sayed is trying to put some distance between himself and one of his top supporters, Hasan Piker, after the controversial streamer sparked a new firestorm. El-Sayed, who is facing off against former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers in battleground Michigan in a high-stakes Senate showdown, on Monday emphasized in a statement, "I want to be crystal clear, nobody speaks for this campaign besides me and my campaign spokespeople." The statement from El-Sayed came after Piker, on his stream last week, featured an image of state Sen.
Jeremy Moss, the Democratic nominee in Michigan's 11th Congressional District. Moss, who is Jewish, has said that people are sharing a fake audio clip of him claiming that his entire reason for running for Congress is to make sure that America continues to support Israel. "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," Piker warned.
DEMOCRATS 'WHO NEVER VOTED REPUBLICAN' BACKING THIS GOP SENATE NOMINEE Piker, who endorsed El-Sayed for the Democratic nomination and appeared at some of the candidate's campaign events including a primary night party in Detroit, has repeatedly stood by his numerous past comments critical of Israel over its ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza. Piker's latest comments have been blasted by a growing number of Republicans and Democrats since they grabbed attention this past weekend. Hillary Scholten of Michigan charged that Piker is "a hack who thrives on hate." Rogers, in a social media post on Sunday, took aim at both Piker and El-Sayed.
"More calls for violence coming out of the El-Sayed campaign," Rogers said. And he claimed, "Here is his running mate, Hasan Piker, saying that if AMERICAN JEWS support Israel, they will be violently targeted because of it." Rogers added, "Absolutely DISGUSTING. If Abdul El-Sayed had any courage at all, he would call this out and disavow Hasan Piker once and for all.
We’re waiting, Abdul…" DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB El-Sayed, in his statement, wrote, "I believe all Americans deserve the right to advocate for what they believe without fear of violence. 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," he added. In an apparent jab at Rogers and other Republicans who have repeatedly tied El-Sayed to Piker, the Democratic nominee wrote that "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.' A former Wayne County Health Department director, El-Sayed, if elected in November, would make history as the nation's first Muslim senator.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
