El-Sayed Meets Senate Democrats in Washington, Still Facing Questions Over Piker Ties

Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed met with Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee leaders in Washington this week, a sign of party unity after a bruising primary. But the sit-down did little to settle questions about his connection to Twitch streamer and political commentator Hasan Piker.

Asked by Fox News Digital whether he would continue campaigning alongside Piker, who has drawn condemnation from Democrats in Washington and on the campaign trail, El-Sayed did not give a direct answer.

Piker has become an unwanted focal point in El-Sayed’s campaign in recent weeks. The streamer has previously said “America deserved 9/11,” and in a recent stream argued that opposition to Israel is not antisemitic. He went further, saying: “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.”

Those comments prompted swift criticism from Democrats, including from El-Sayed himself, who moved to put distance between his campaign and Piker in a public statement. “All Americans deserve the right to advocate for what they believe without fear of violence,” he said, while acknowledging that “antisemitism is a scourge, and we need to address it in all its forms.” He added, “nobody speaks for this campaign besides me and my campaign spokespeople.”

El-Sayed also sought to shift attention back to policy. “And 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,” he said.

The Washington meeting carries added weight given El-Sayed’s history with the party establishment. He spent much of his primary campaign running against it, ultimately defeating Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., in a contentious race. He is now the Democratic nominee facing former Rep. Mike Rogers in the general election for the Michigan Senate seat.

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., addressed the primary fight and the party’s efforts to come together afterward. “Primaries get really hot. The Michigan primary got hot,” Murphy told Fox News Digital. “But this is what you do after a primary, is you gotta unite the party, and then you do the work to reach out and cross over to independent voters and Republican voters.”