Michigan Senate Candidate Refuses to Answer Questions About Radical Streamer Ties

Clear Facts

• Michigan U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed repeatedly dodged questions about his relationship with far-left streamer Hasan Piker at the state Democratic Party convention
• El-Sayed previously campaigned and partied with Piker, who has praised Communist China, said “America deserved 9/11,” and made numerous antisemitic comments
• The candidate apologized for previous comments about a synagogue attack that were criticized as insensitive by fellow Democrats, including Michigan Secretary of State Dana Nessel

At Saturday’s state Democratic Party Nominating Convention in Lansing, Michigan U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed faced intense questioning from reporters about controversies that have dogged his campaign for months. The candidate, surrounded by media in a hallway at the Lansing Center, repeatedly avoided direct answers about his ties to controversial online personality Hasan Piker.

“We’re in the state of Michigan. If you want to make this race about a streamer in California, I just think you’re missing the boat,” El-Sayed told reporters. “This is about affordability in Michigan. This is about seeing a doctor in Michigan. This is about Donald Trump’s disastrous policies in Michigan. That’s what I’m focused on right now.”

Four different reporters pressed El-Sayed about Piker, with whom he campaigned and partied during his primary race. Each time, the candidate dismissed the questions by describing Piker as merely “a streamer from California” who is irrelevant to Michigan politics.

“I am not interested in a conversation about a social media person in California. And to folks who want to make this about a social media person in California, let’s not forget what actually matters in our politics, what our politics are really about,” he said. “I don’t ever want my comments to hurt anybody’s feelings. It’s important to me that people understand that I take serious the pain of all communities in this state. But I don’t want to have a conversation about a Twitch streamer in California. This is not a serious conversation.”

Piker has built a controversial reputation for extreme statements, including claiming “America deserved 9/11,” praising Mao Zedong and Communist China, arguing that capitalists should be murdered in the streets, and making numerous antisemitic comments. These are not minor political differences—they represent fundamental attacks on American values and our nation’s closest Middle Eastern ally.

El-Sayed was also questioned about controversial comments he made in March regarding an attack on a Michigan synagogue. Federal investigators say a gunman inspired and radicalized by the terrorist organization Hezbollah crashed into the place of worship seeking to kill as many Jewish people as possible.

“Hurt people, hurt people,” El-Sayed said in response to the attack at the time.

The remarks drew sharp criticism from members of his own party, including Secretary of State Dana Nessel, who discussed the comments in a recent interview with The Atlantic and declined to attend Saturday’s convention partly over concerns about antisemitism in the Democratic Party.

When pressed by Fox News Digital, El-Sayed acknowledged his words “might have been misconstrued to be justifying something I did not intend to justify,” before offering an apology.

“To anybody who feels like my comments may have been hurtful, I’m really sorry. That was not my intention. We condemned that terrorist attack. We condemned it outright,” El-Sayed said. “What I was trying to do was offer context for why it happened, but it wasn’t the time for context and you don’t ever want to trample somebody’s pain.”

The candidate also stated it was the responsibility of the Democratic Party to come together. However, the notable absence of prominent Jewish Democrats at the convention suggests that unity may be harder to achieve than party leaders hope.

Michigan Democrats gathered at the convention center Saturday afternoon under the theme of “unity” amid the controversies surrounding the state’s highest-profile candidate for elected office. Other statewide candidates took the stage to rally attendees and presented a united front, often invoking their opposition to President Donald Trump as a point of common interest.

The question remains whether Michigan voters will accept a candidate who appears more interested in deflecting questions about his associations than directly addressing concerns from his own party’s Jewish constituency. In a state where Senate races have been decided by razor-thin margins, such divisions could prove decisive.

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