Michigan Senate nominee Abdul el Sayed is raising new alarms among Democrats that he could ruin their chance at maintaining the battleground seat as he digs in on certain issues, including refusing to denounce socialist Twitch streamer Hasan Piker and likening circumcision to sex changes for minors.
“Wacked out,” “part of the problem,” and “disqualifying behavior” are not the criticisms of Republicans — they’re condemnations from fellow Democrats, who say it should be easy to condemn Piker and appeal to swing voters.
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El Sayed, himself a longtime Israel critic, distanced himself Monday from Piker’s recent comments suggesting American Jewish support for Israel might prompt people to “take action” against Jews in the United States but stopped short of fully denouncing him. Critics condemned Piker’s remarks as his latest expression of antisemitism and calls for violence.
Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), el Sayed’s colleague if he wins in November, said it “shouldn’t be hard” to condemn Piker forcefully.
Former Jill Biden spokesman Michael LaRosa called it “disqualifying behavior for any Democrat” to campaign with Piker. El Sayed appeared with Piker on multiple occasions during the primary.
Tre Easton, a former aide to Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) and Obama administration staffer, referred to Piker as a “serious liability” in the November general election against Republican Mike Rogers, who lost to Slotkin in 2024 by just over 20,000 votes, or 0.3%. The Trump-backed candidate has begun to flip Democrats, particularly those who are Jewish, in his favor.
Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NY), an outspoken Jewish critic of el Sayed, said “anyone campaigning with [Piker] is part of the problem” that Democrats have with denouncing violence against American Jews. He added there was “no way I’m ever coming out for el Sayed right now” when asked by CNN on Tuesday if he would vote for him.
And over Piker’s claim that establishment Democrats’ unwillingness to disavow Israel could cost the party the Senate majority, Rep. Hillary Scholten (D-MI) delivered a forceful rebuke.
“There’s only one of us hurting the chances of a Democratic majority in November,” Scholten said of Piker. “And it ain’t me!”
In the hours after el Sayed, a doctor and former local health official, distanced himself from Piker, he sparred with Fox News’s Jesse Watters over a spate of cultural issues. When asked if he supported sex changes for minors, el Sayed compared transgender surgeries to circumcision in asking Watters if he was circumcised.
“I can’t begin to underscore how wacked out the way he’s talking is going to seem to voters at the middle,” said Democratic strategist Lucy Caldwell. “Answering a question about gender reassignment surgery for minor children by drawing a false equivalency to circumcision? Is that remotely serious? These are not winning messages with swing voters, dude. Get it together.”
The intraparty rebuke is part of broader concerns that his proximity to socialist figures and policies will turn away swing voters.
The Jewish adults alone, who make up an estimated 1.4% of the electorate, could swing the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) in favor of Rogers, despite a broader midterm tailwind that’s expected to boost Democrats.
El Sayed’s statement distancing himself from Piker appeared to acknowledge a need to repair damaged relations with more centrist and Jewish Democratic voters.
“My commitment to Jewish safety is the same as my commitment to the safety of my own daughters. Antisemitism is a scourge, and we need to address it in all its forms. And I stand against any rhetoric that puts the community at risk,” el Sayed said. “But I want to be crystal clear, nobody speaks for this campaign besides me and my campaign spokespeople. 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.”
Piker has downplayed the Democratic criticism as part of “a coordinated Republican smear campaign” and said his initial remarks were meant as an “argument against the dangerous false conflation between Zionism and Judaism, which in turn increases antisemitism.”
Meanwhile, el Sayed’s remarks have failed to stop the steady stream of outspoken criticism.
“His statements on Piker are too weak against a man attacking Michigan voters and our congressional delegation,” said former Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lon Johnson.
EL SAYED GETS SLAMMED FROM RIGHT AND LEFT AS HE REFUSES TO DISAVOW HASAN PIKER
Gottheimer, the New Jersey Democrat, said the nominee’s statement “totally fell short.”
“Instead of coming out and condemning Piker, condemning his statement, saying he refuses to ever campaign with him again, he did nothing of the sort,” Gottheimer said in his remarks to CNN. “The fact that he leaves the window open to do more with Hasan Piker is totally unacceptable.”
