<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/michigan/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Michigan</a> Senate Democratic nominee <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/abdul-el-sayed/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Abdul el Sayed</a> announced on Wednesday that he will not campaign with Hasan Piker, following scrutiny over Piker's controversial statements.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">El Sayed has previously appeared with Piker at various events, including campus rallies at Michigan State University and the University of Michigan in April, as well as a Detroit event earlier this month. Concerns have been raised about Piker's rhetoric, which some have labeled as antisemitic.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">After distancing himself from Piker following his primary win on August 5, el Sayed told <em>Semafor</em> on Wednesday that he has “no plans” to campaign with Piker. This decision comes approximately two months before the general election, where el Sayed aims to secure majority support against former Republican Representative Mike Rogers.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The decision follows criticism from Republicans and centrist Democrats regarding Piker's comments, including his downplaying of sexual violence against Jews during Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack. Piker has stated he would “vote for Hamas over Israel every single time” and described Hamas as “a thousand times better” than Israel.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Piker has also faced backlash for a 2019 comment suggesting that the United States “deserved” the 9/11 terrorist attack, which he later claimed was taken out of context.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">After initially declining to disavow Piker’s 9/11 comment before the primary election, el Sayed referred to the remark as “a dumb statement” on August 9.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“And of course I think Hasan himself would say that was a dumb statement,” el Sayed said. “But you know, to sit here and play gotcha politics with a dumb thing somebody said out of context that they disavowed themselves … I want to be held accountable for what I say and what I do rather than this idea that we’re so stuck in cancel culture that all of us agreed was a bad idea back in 2020.”</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img alt="Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive candidate in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in Michigan, talks poolside with streamer Hasan Piker at a party for content creators supporting his campaign, Monday, Aug. 3, 2026, in Detroit." class="wp-image-4702217" height="682" src="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AP26215716145202_bac87e.jpg?w=696" width="1024" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Abdul el Sayed, a progressive candidate in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in Michigan, talks poolside with streamer Hasan Piker at a party for content creators supporting his campaign, Monday, Aug. 3, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)</figcaption></figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">On Wednesday, el Sayed remarked that “the effort to make this race about a streamer in LA … actually kind of laughable.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“Most people are a lot more worried about things like, what are you going to do about my groceries? What are you going to do about my healthcare? What are you going to do about the fact that I cannot afford [to enroll] my kid in baseball, even though my kid’s a really great baseball player?” el Sayed said in Detroit. “Those are the things I’m talking about, and the effort to make this race about a streamer in LA is actually kind of laughable.”</p>