Topline

Left-wing Twitch streamer Hasan Piker’s incendiary brand of politics has become a flashpoint in the divide within the Democratic Party over the rise of the progressive movement—with conservatives seizing on his controversial statements to claim Democrats have swayed too far left.

Key Facts

The debate over Piker blew up over the weekend when Rolling Stone published an extensive profile on him that included an overview of his upbringing in Turkey, his morning routine and a glamorous photoshoot at his Los Angeles home with the headline, “Why Is Everyone Scared of Hasan Piker?”

Some conservatives, including co-host of ABC’s The View, Alyssa Farrah Griffin, re-upped their criticism of Piker in response to the weekend attention, with Farrah alleging the “Piker phenomena” is a “desperate desire on the Left to find its own Joe Rogan/ Manosphere powerhouse” and Elon Musk tweeting “he means what he says,” quoting Piker saying “we’re going to destroy the white race,” a statement he made mocking right-wing conspiracies.

Some centrist Democrats called on progressives to distance themselves, such as MS NOW’s Joe Scarborough, who referenced some of Piker’s most controversial anti-Israel rhetoric while discussing Abdul El-Sayed’s win in Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary on Monday, accusing progressives more broadly of being “too woke to call out the obvious.”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., when asked by ABC News over the weekend if Piker should have a role in the progressive movement, didn’t answer directly, but lamented that Democrats need to do more to reach young voters, who “are engaging in mediums and conversations that we have a responsibility to attend to and be responsive to.”

Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is among multiple progressives who have appeared with Piker online or campaigned with him, including Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, Reps. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Ilhan Omar, D-Minn.

El-Sayed’s affiliation with Piker in particular has prompted sharp criticism from moderate Democrats, including Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., who told El-Sayed via a Fox News interview last week, “I dare you to continue to campaign with people like Hasan Piker,” while longtime Democratic strategist James Carville threatened to leave the Democratic Party earlier this month if Piker didn’t, and Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., also blasted El-Sayed for campaigning with Piker.

Tangent

El-Sayed distanced himself from Piker somewhat, but also defended his affiliation with him. He told Fox News recently, “because you appear with somebody doesn’t mean you agree with them on everything.” El-Sayed also told NBC on Sunday that Piker made a “dumb statement” when he said America deserved 9/11 in 2019. Piker admitted the latter statement was “inappropriate” and he should have explained himself better, but stopped short of apologizing. El-Sayed’s Republican opponent, former Rep. Mike Rogers, has accused El-Sayed of believing America deserved 9/11, apparently making the link between Piker and El-Sayed. There’s no record of El-Sayed making that statement, and he’s said repeatedly he doesn’t believe America deserved 9/11.

Key Background

Piker, a full-time streamer on Twitch, where he has 50,000 subscribers and a strong following among young men, has faced criticism for his incendiary rhetoric and staunchly anti-Israel stance, which has prompted accusations of antisemitism. In addition to his comment about 9/11, Piker has said Israel is worse than Hamas and that the rapes Hamas committed in its Oct. 7 attack on Israel didn’t change his view, though he acknowledged “the Palestinian resistance is not perfect.” Piker has characterized some of his rhetoric as hyperbole and told Rolling Stone, “in some ways it is a performance. But existence is a performance.” The intraparty debate over Piker comes as a wave of progressive primary wins has raised questions about how the movement could reshape the identity of the party. Piker has campaigned with multiple left-wing congressional candidates who have defeated incumbents this primary season, including Darializa Avila Chevalier in New York, Melat Kiros in Colorado and Donavan McKinney in Michigan. Democratic socialist Francesca Hong, who is running in Tuesday’s Wisconsin gubernatorial Democratic primary, also appeared on Piker’s livestream.

What To Watch For

Some of the progressive wins have raised concerns within the Democratic Party about their electability against Republicans in November, particularly in statewide swing state races. Most polls show Hong winning her primary, but some show her losing to presumptive Republican nominee, Rep. Tom Tiffany. El-Sayed and Republican nominee, former Rep. Mike Rogers, are in a dead heat in most polls.