El-Sayed tries to put the Hasan Piker debate behind him as midterms approach

Michigan Democratic U.S. Senate nominee has faced backlash for months over his relationship with Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, who is known for his controversial rhetoric. The candidate has yet to disavow Piker and now seems to be tiring of the questions, looking to shift focus to the issues that he says are really at the heart of the race.

El-Sayed's relationship with Piker was scrutinized before the two of them appeared at a campaign event in April 2026. On March 30, El-Sayed posted a video with the caption "Let's talk about Hasan." In the video, the Michigan Democrat explained that he was looking for a way to access people who "feel locked out of our politics," saying that they are the same people who Piker speaks to through his daily streams. He went on to clarify where he agrees with Piker, which included the streamer's stances on the war in Iran, AIPAC's involvement in U.S. politics and healthcare.

"Now, he streams for eight hours a day, every day. A lot of the things that he said, I might not agree with, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to have a conversation with him, and that doesn't mean that the people who listen to him don't deserve to listen to their politicians and to have a pathway into politics to vote for the things that they need and deserve," El-Sayed said.

ABDUL EL-SAYED SAYS RALLYING WITH HASAN PIKER DOESN'T MEAN HE ENDORSES 'AMERICA DESERVED 9/11' REMARK

The Michigan Democrat joined "FOX & Friends" ahead of his , where he said that appearing with someone did not mean that he agreed with them. While he did not disavow Piker specifically, he referred to the streamer's past remarks, saying, "Of course, I oppose rape. Of course, I don't think 9/11 was justified."

Amid the scrutiny of his decision to campaign with Piker, El-Sayed repeatedly blamed the criticism on "cancel culture" and insisted that Democrats needed to be willing to speak with people at their level.

The event with Piker went on as planned, but El-Sayed still faced questions. He was asked while standing next to Piker to disavow the streamer's past rhetoric, which he refused to do.

"I'm not here to disavow people's views. I'm here to have a conversation about how to get money out of politics, put money back in pockets, and pass Medicare for all. That's the conversation that folks are here to listen to," .

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The controversy surrounding the April campus appearance would set off a months-long line of questioning, with El-Sayed repeatedly walking the line between condemning some of Piker's rhetoric without going into specifics or alienating the streamer's audience. This became more common after El-Sayed defeated Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., in the Democratic primary in August. Following El-Sayed's victory, Piker called for those who opposed the Michigan Democrat to be "punished" by the party.

"You can't be out here saying like, 'Oh, I'm a centrist Democrat. And I think Abdul is a bridge too far.' That must be punished," Piker said.

After his primary victory, El-Sayed was asked in multiple interviews to comment on Piker's past rhetoric. When CNN's Kaitlan Collins asked El-Sayed whether he would renounce Piker in August, something that Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., had urged him to do, the Michigan Democrat said he was "less focused on folks who are campaigning with me, more focused on the folks I'm ca