El-Sayed faces bipartisan backlash in key U.S. Senate race over far-left ties

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rogers is blasting his opponent in Michigan, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, over his ties to controversial far-left influencer Hasan Piker.El-Sayed, who previously appeared alongside Piker, has since distanced himself from the political commentator, who has faced accusations of antisemitism.
Rogers, a former U.S. representative, addressed the controversy in an interview with Fox News on Thursday night.
“He can’t distance himself from Hasan Piker at all,” Rogers said. “He is clearly his running mate in this. He came as his closer and still maintains his relationship.”
Rogers added that he believes El-Sayed and Piker share a disdain for America.
“They don’t like America,” he said. “I think that is disqualifying.”
Michigan Democrats will gather this weekend for their nominating convention, just one week after Republicans did the same.
With just 27 days until absentee ballots begin going out in the Great Lakes State and millions of dollars pouring into the race, El-Sayed’s connections to Piker could prove critical in what is considered one of the most-important U.S. Senate races in the nation.
Of the 100 seats in the U.S. Senate, 35 are up for election in 2026, including two special elections. Democrats currently hold 12 of those seats, while Republicans hold 23. Democrats will need a net gain of four seats to take control of the Senate.
In 2024, Michigan’s U.S. Senate race was decided by less than half a percentage point, with U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin narrowly defeating Rogers.
Rogers has received the endorsement of President Donald Trump and recent polling shows El-Sayed beating Rogers by 45.8% to 45%. That is according to the average of the last five polls compiled by 270toWin and a shift from before the primary, when polling showed Rogers beating El-Sayed.
Democrats were divided during the primary between El-Sayed and establishment-backed U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens. El-Sayed narrowly won the Aug. 4 primary and has since turned his attention to the general election, though his campaign has been clouded by ongoing media coverage of his relationship with Piker.
Piker has faced criticism over numerous controversial comments, including remarks in 2019 that “America deserved 9/11.”
Despite those comments, Piker appeared alongside El-Sayed during the primary, including as recently as the eve of the election. In an interview earlier this month, after the primary, El-Sayed called the comment “dumb.”
Since then, prominent Democrats in Michigan and across the country have criticized El-Sayed’s relationship with Piker.
“This bromance is a buddy movie about defending Hamas + a parade of deeply antisemitic rhetoric,” said U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pennsylvania, on Wednesday.
El-Sayed’s former opponent Stevens has also warned him against continuing his ties.
“It certainly makes sense to get rid of this Hasan Piker affiliation,” Stevens said in an interview earlier this month. “I’m calling for that. I’ve continued to call on that.”
El-Sayed, who is seeking to become the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate, has dismissed concerns about his relationship with Piker, while stating he has “no plans” to campaign with him.
“The effort to make this race about a streamer in LA is actually kind of laughable,” El-Sayed said in an interview published this week.
He also released a statement after controversial comments from Piker made headlines again this week. El-Sayed’s campaign did not respond to questions from The Center Square about his relationship with Piker, instead directing the publication to the statement.
“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.
Yet, his statement continued by brushing off ongoing press attention on his relationship with Piker.
“But I want to be crystal clear, nobody speaks for this campaign besides me and my campaign spokespeople,” El-Sayed said. “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. Because that’s what Michiganders keep asking about.”
The controversy has become part of a broader conversation about antisemitism and the state of the Democratic Party in Michigan, which some are labeling a “crisis.”
At a recent event, Rogers said “El-Sayed wants to represent Palestine. I want to represent Michigan.”
El-Sayed responded to that, stating: “He’s so proud of himself, look at him. He practiced that line all weekend at his AIPAC fundraisers.”
El-Sayed has cast himself as the candidate taking on “AIPAC and the establishment.” The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a pro-Israel lobbying organization, spent millions backing Stevens’ campaign in the primary
The 41-year-old also recently received backlash from Republicans for referring to Egypt as “home” during a podcast.

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