# El-Sayed dodges question on Piker campaign role

> Michigan Democratic nominee avoids answering whether controversial streamer will continue campaigning with him.
- Title: El-Sayed dodges question on Piker campaign role · Fox News
- Summary: Michigan Democratic nominee avoids answering whether controversial streamer will continue campaigning with him. El-Sayed is trying to distance himself from…
- Keywords: abdul el-sayed, hasan piker, michigan senate, democratic party, 2024 election, controversy, antisemitism, twitch streamer, democratic establishment, campaign strategy, news, politics
- Source: Fox News — https://foxnews.com/politics/see-it-el-sayed-cant-shake-one-question-before-meeting-dem-power-brokers
- Author: Hannah Brennan
- Published: 2026-09-16T00:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: abdul el-sayed, hasan piker, michigan senate, democratic party, 2024 election, controversy, antisemitism, twitch streamer, democratic establishment, campaign strategy, news, politics
## El-Sayed meets Democratic leadership
Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed met with top party officials at Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee headquarters in Washington, D.C.
## The Piker problem won't go away
El-Sayed dodged Fox News Digital's question about whether Twitch streamer Hasan Piker will continue campaigning with him, despite Piker being almost universally condemned by Democrats.
## Piker's controversial past comments
Hasan Piker previously said America deserved 9/11 and recently argued that being against Israel isn't antisemitic, drawing swift condemnation from Democrats.

> America deserved 9/11
## Antisemitic remarks spark backlash
Piker claimed that if American Jews keep saying they're invested in Israel, someone will take action against American Jews, prompting widespread Democratic condemnation.

> 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
## El-Sayed distances himself carefully
El-Sayed issued a statement condemning antisemitism and saying nobody speaks for his campaign besides him and his spokespeople, but stopped short of ending his association with Piker.

> antisemitism is a scourge, and we need to address it in all its forms
## Murphy says primaries get heated
Senator Chris Murphy acknowledged that the Michigan primary got hot but said the focus now should be uniting the party and reaching independent and Republican voters.

> this is what you do after a primary, is you gotta unite the party
## Key takeaway

El-Sayed is trying to distance himself from Hasan Piker's inflammatory comments while meeting with Democratic leadership, but won't commit to ending their campaign partnership.