Abdul El-Sayed's Hasan Piker Gambit Sparks Outrage Among Fellow Michigan Senate Democrats
"(Hasan) Piker is a provocateur, who says things that are misogynistic and antisemitic.”
Updated April 6 2026, 6:01 p.m. ET
Democrats Abdul El-Sayed (L), Haley Stevens (C), and Mallory McMorrow are in the Michigan Senate primary race.
Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, who is backed by progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), plans to include controversial political commentator Hasan Piker in his campaigning. Abdul wants Hasan to tag along when he visits the University of Michigan and the Michigan State University on Tuesday, April 7.
Other Democratic candidates are reportedly not too happy with the decision. They fear that upon winning the primary, he will make it easy for Republicans to overthrow him.
Hasan Piker
Abdul, Mallory McMorrow, and Haley Stevens are fighting to succeed the seat of the retiring Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.). The winner of the August primary is expected to take on former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.).
Sparse polling indicates a neck-and-neck Democratic primary race, with each candidate expected to garner at less than 30 percent support, while a significant number of voters remain undecided.
"Disgrace to the Democratic Party"
Despite Hasan having a large following across social media platforms, he faced heavy backlash for allegedly making insensitive comments on a number of occasions. He has also previously been accused of being antisemitic. In 2019, Hasan allegedly said that America deserved 9/11.
In 2023, he once again made a comment that rubbed many Americans the wrong way. Following an attack by Hamas on Israel, during which more than 1,200 people lost their lives, he said that it was a “direct consequence” of what Israel and the U.S. had been doing. Hasan went on to say that sexual assaults were part of the Hamas campaign, adding that it “doesn’t change the dynamic for me.”
An X post by Abdul El-Sayed announcing the individuals who would be campaigning for him on April 7.
Matt Bennett, senior vice president for public affairs at Third Way, took to his X account to call out Abdul's decision and called him a “disgrace to the Democratic Party.”
Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.), who has represented Michigan’s 11th Congressional District since 2019, condemned Abdul's decision in a conversation with Jewish Insider. She said that Hasan is “the exact opposite of someone I’d be campaigning with.”
McMorrow, state senator, who promoted herself as part of the new generation of Democratic leaders, spoke in a similar tone. She said, “It is somebody who says extremely offensive things in order to generate clicks and views and followers, which is not entirely different from somebody like Nick Fuentes. (Hasan) is a provocateur, to put it lightly, who says things that are misogynistic and antisemitic, and said that the United States deserved 9/11.”
Michigan senate candidate Mallory McMorrow criticizes Abdul El-Sayed's decision to include Hasan Piker in his campaigning.
Amid mounting criticism, Abdul has defended his decision by pointing out that Hasan was allowed to stream from the Democratic National Convention in 2024.
One campaign spokesperson told The Hill, “Other candidates can spend their time policing where conversations happen and who gets to be a part of them if they want. Abdul is focused on showing up everywhere.”
Despite President Donald Trump’s recent win at the top of the ticket, for over 30 years, Republicans have struggled to secure a Senate seat in Michigan. The Michigan seat is among the handful of 2026 Senate toss-ups. It could be sink or swim for either party in November as Democrats fight to win back the Senate majority.