Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., on Thursday described the attention paid to Twitch streamer Hasan Piker by elected officials as "absolutely ludicrous." Her comments come as some Democrats seek to distance themselves from the online personality, while others view him as a crucial figure for engaging younger demographics in politics.
"It is absolutely ludicrous that so much oxygen from sitting elected officials in the United States Congress is being dedicated to discourse around a Twitch streamer for young people," Ocasio-Cortez said, according to The Hill.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., acknowledged the importance of reaching Piker's audience. "I think that we have been talking about how we need to reach out to all parts of our party, and also how difficult it is sometimes to get people to pay attention to politics, and so streamers are important in that," Jayapal stated. She added that she did not believe the standard should be that one must agree with everything Piker has said.
However, other Democrats have urged a stronger condemnation of Piker's rhetoric. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., told The Hill that individuals should not only avoid his support but also condemn his views. "And I think anything short of that is unacceptable," he added.
Michigan Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed has faced scrutiny for his past campaign events with Piker. El-Sayed, in an interview with Stephen A. Smith, explained his strategy as an effort to connect with Piker's substantial online following. "What I'm saying is there are 3 million people who listen to Hasan," El-Sayed said. "I want to offer them a pathway into an electoral movement where, rather than sit outside of the electoral system, they see a pathway around the things that they agree with that he says that I agree with and a pathway that disavows the things that I disagree with. And, so, it's important."
Smith summarized El-Sayed's approach as aiming to win over Piker's audience rather than endorsing the streamer personally, a characterization El-Sayed affirmed.
Democratic strategist Kaivan Schroff told Fox News Digital that some Democrats are being disingenuous in their approach to Piker. He noted that El-Sayed's "hard to understand refusal to create more distance between himself and the streamer, or just flat disavow him" suggests a deeper connection. "His refusal to… denounce him suggests the latter, though strategically it seems Piker is more of a liability than a help. Recent polling showed the vast majority of Democrats don’t like him," Schroff stated.
Schroff contrasted this with Republican criticism of Donald Trump for associating with figures like Nick Fuentes. He argued that the burden on Democrats to disavow Piker stems from having actively sought him out, campaigned with him, and joined his platform.
Republican National Committee spokesman Max Lippel criticized Democrats for initially embracing Piker. "AOC, Bernie Sanders, and Abdul El-Sayed rolled out the red carpet for Hasan Piker, but now that voters are catching on to how insane his views are, they've developed a sudden case of amnesia," Lippel said. "Piker has always been an America-hating extremist, and if they didn't want to answer for his disgusting views they should have never requested he campaign with them to begin with."