With the 2026 midterm elections fast approaching, Democrats have been scrambling to find new ways to connect with voters — particularly young men, a demographic with which the party struggled mightily in 2024 — and thus far, they appear to have settled on a popular streamer who claimed that the United States “deserved” 9/11.
Hasan Piker, who boasts over four million followers between YouTube and Twitch, has hosted Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Ro Khanna (D-CA), Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D-NYC), and endorsed Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA) — and is set to campaign with Democratic Michigan Senatorial hopeful Abdul El-Sayed.
Not all Democrats are willing to stretch the party’s tent quite that far, however, and have warned others not to welcome Piker too warmly.
Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI), who is also vying for the Democratic Senate nomination, has accused El-Sayed of intentionally bringing in someone with a reputation for spreading “antisemitic rhetoric.”
El-Sayed defended his choice, saying, “If we want to have a conversation where we’re actually bringing people together about the things that we need and deserve, we’re gonna have to go to unlikely and uncommon places.”
He also defended his association with Piker — who said the sexual violence and rapes that occurred during the October 7 terrorist attack did not change his opinion that Hamas was “1,000 times better than Israel” — during a recent appearance on Fox News.
“America’s Newsroom” anchor Bill Hemmer asked El-Sayed, “With regard to October 7th, he said that what Hamas did is the lesser of two evils. Why saddle up with that?”
El-Sayed claimed that his interested in appearing with Piker was no different than his interest in appearing on Fox News, and was nothing more than an attempt to reach more potential voters.
Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed defending his event with Hasan Piker: “Doesn’t matter if r*pes happened on October 7th.”
This is what passes for leadership in today’s Democratic Party. pic.twitter.com/Im4h7WGJQp
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) April 1, 2026
Senator John Fetterman voiced his shock that some in his party weren’t just agreeing with Piker, but were seeking him out: “I mean, my God, you have many in my party, they’re proud to do events with Hasan Piker. This is the individual that said that America deserved 9/11.”
BREAKING: Senator Fetterman slams members of the Democrat party for associating with Hasan Piker.
“I mean, my God, you have many in my party, they’re proud to do events with Hasan Piker. This is the individual that said that America deserved 9/11.” pic.twitter.com/DBpXQyAt6S
— Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) April 5, 2026
The Bulwark’s Tim Miller and Sarah Longwell debated whether or not the Democratic Party would be wise to embrace Piker or reject him. Miller argued that although he didn’t agree with Piker’s politics, he thought that Democrats would be wise to appear on his show — and then said that if the party establishment were to shun him entirely, they would only make him more powerful.
Longwell laid out a number of the problematic things Piker had said, arguing that he was “all the toxic things” and his “worldview” was entirely incompatible with anything any Democrat in America claims to stand for.
Some of the comments that Longwell laid out as problematic were as follows:
“If you cared about Medicare fraud … you would kill Rick Scott.”
Democrat spokesperson Hasan Piker urged his audience to kill Republican lawmakers.
PIKER: “If you cared about Medicare fraud…you would kill Rick Scott.”
This is the SICK LUNATIC who Democrats are campaigning with. pic.twitter.com/vgccGZSbem
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) April 7, 2026
On landlords who choose not to rent properties, “KiII the motherf*ckers. Let the streets soak in their red, capitalist bIood!”
Hasan Piker: “KiII the motherf*ckers. Let the streets soak in their red, capitalist bIood!”
Democrats are campaigning with him pic.twitter.com/YxiL47tOOw
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) April 6, 2026
“Hezbollah … I think as a resistance group, they’re pretty successful … I don’t have an issue with them.”
Hasan Piker, who endorses Georgia Democrat Jon Ossoff, also endorses terrorists:
PIKER: “Hezbollah…I think as a resistance group, they’re pretty successful…I don’t have an issue with them…they are a terrorist organization…”@ossoff, why haven’t you condemned this? pic.twitter.com/6hEhC20FPf
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) April 3, 2026
“America deserved 9/11. I do not support the United States of America.”
Hasan Piker: “America deserved 9/11. I do not support the United States of America.”
This is Gavin Newsom’s new friend btw.
— Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) March 26, 2026
“Overall, my favorite flag is Hezbollah.”
Hasan Piker, sitting at a table with an LGBTQ+ flag, says: “Overall, my favorite flag is Hezbollah.”
This is progressivism today—a guy in a tank top, in the West, praising a terror group that executes gay people, right in front of a pride flag. pic.twitter.com/9QrtKqMKnl
— Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) April 4, 2026
“Hasan Piker closed his Stanford speech by framing the U.S. as the ‘belly of the beast,’ urging students to use their position inside it to ‘fight’ the system, warning of ‘techno-fascist danger,’ and ending with ‘Free Palestine.’”
For those curious, Hasan Piker closed his Stanford speech by framing the U.S. as the “belly of the beast,” urging students to use their position inside it to “fight” the system, warning of “techno-fascist danger,” and ending with “Free Palestine.” pic.twitter.com/8OdSZgE3M8
— Stu Smith (@thestustustudio) April 2, 2026
If the 2024 election taught Democrats that they need to do more outreach to young men, the 2026 midterms might teach the party that the voice they choose to do that outreach matters.
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