Michigan Senate Candidate El-Sayed Campaigns With Anti-American Streamer Piker, Suggests AIPAC Corrupts US Politics

El-Sayed rallies alongside Piker, who has made controversial comments about 9/11 and rape, as well as Reps. Lee and Tlaib

Apr. 8, 2026 at 1:52pm

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The left-wing Democrat running for Michigan's open Senate seat, Abdul El-Sayed, campaigned Tuesday alongside anti-American streamer Hasan Piker. El-Sayed railed against the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and what he called the "genocidal" war in Iran, suggesting that U.S. lawmakers only support the war because of money from the pro-Israel advocacy group.

Why it matters

El-Sayed's appearance with Piker is his latest controversial move, coming a week after a report on a private campaign strategy call held one day after the death of former Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei. El-Sayed's primary opponents have criticized his decision to campaign alongside Piker, who has made hurtful and anti-Semitic comments.

The details

El-Sayed rallied alongside Piker, who has said "America deserved 9/11" and argued that it "doesn't matter if rape happened on October 7", as well as Reps. Summer Lee (D., Pa.) and Rashida Tlaib (D., Mich.), both members of the "Squad". Piker lashed out at those who call him anti-Semitic, saying the criticism is no longer "consequential".

  • On April 7, 2026, El-Sayed campaigned with Piker at rallies in Ann Arbor and East Lansing, Michigan.
  • Just hours before the rallies, El-Sayed appeared to agree with an X post from Piker reading, "donald trump is adolf hitler".

The players

Abdul El-Sayed

The left-wing Democrat running for Michigan's open Senate seat.

Hasan Piker

An anti-American streamer who has made controversial comments about 9/11 and rape.

Summer Lee

A Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.

Rashida Tlaib

A Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan.

Haley Stevens

El-Sayed's primary opponent, a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Mallory McMorrow

El-Sayed's primary opponent, a Democratic state senator in Michigan.

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What they’re saying

“Our president is waging a genocidal, illegal, unjustifiable war in Iran that is torching our tax dollars to the tune of $1.5 billion a day. I am proud that AIPAC has called me the single most dangerous candidate for the U.S. Senate. I'm the only candidate in this race who's never asked for an AIPAC endorsement, only candidate in this race that is not supported by the Israel lobby.”

— Abdul El-Sayed, Democratic Senate Candidate

“The smear campaigns that started shortly after October 7 were obviously a lot more consequential, a lot more successful back then, but now I can easily say, 'F--- them,' because I'm no longer alone. Neither are you. That's a positive change you should hold close to your chest, and that's exactly the attitude.”

— Hasan Piker, Streamer

“I don't want to have to convince my senator not to fund another bomb, another destruction, another dime to genocide.”

— Rashida Tlaib, U.S. Representative

“That is not somebody that you should be campaigning with at a moment when there is clearly a lot of pain and trauma across our state. You don't fan the flames and stoke division just to get attention.”

— Mallory McMorrow, State Senator

“The issue that you're trying to do is paint me ... with out-of-context quotes taken out of context specifically to ask me these questions.”

— Abdul El-Sayed, Democratic Senate Candidate

What’s next

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The takeaway

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