Socialist Twitch streamer Hasan Piker is back in the 2026 midterm conversation, hitting the campaign trail in Minnesota and spiking nerves among Democrats as he publicly appears just over one week out from Election Day.
Piker is set to appear at a live podcast taping in Minneapolis on Monday, Oct. 26, with Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Democratic state Sen. Omar Fateh. The event comes after a heated election season for Piker, as his controversial statements have drawn accusations of antisemitism while many national Democrats have distanced themselves from him.
His presence on the primary campaign trail for Michigan’s Democratic Senate candidate Abdul el Sayed caused a headache for Michigan Democrats once el Sayed won the primary and faced repeated calls to disavow the streamer. Now, as he has stayed off the campaign trail in Michigan, Piker is drawing backlash from Minnesota Democrats as he heads to the North Star State.
Piker, known for his controversial comments, has made statements including “America deserved 9/11,” and the United States is “pound for pound” worse than al Qaeda. Piker sparked further controversy and charges of antisemitism in the Michigan Senate race when he said in a Twitch stream, while referencing Jewish Democratic state Sen. Jeremy Moss, that “eventually someone is going to come around and take action … against American Jews” if they “keep putting this idea out there that they are singularly invested in Israel.”
Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN), who lost in her Minnesota Senate Democratic primary to Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, called Piker “polarizing and dangerous” in a statement disavowing the event hosted by Omar and Fateh this week.
“Hasan Piker’s rhetoric is polarizing and dangerous, and embracing him as a party is a mistake. I am disappointed that Minnesota DFLers are hosting an event with him here,” Craig said, referring to the state affiliate of the Democratic Party, the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), who is running for Minnesota governor, also condemned the visit, while Flanagan said she would not be there, but did not disavow it, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune.
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Fateh said the event sold out in 5 minutes.
“I just don’t understand it because, like, I have a lot of fans in Minneapolis, man,” Piker said of the backlash against his event, according to the outlet. “Minneapolis is one of the more radical Democratic base of supports in the country.”