On Friday’s broadcast of MS NOW’s “The Moment,” Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed responded to a question on why he won’t fully disassociate with Hasan Piker by declaring that “this campaign is not about a streamer in California.”
Host Katy Tur asked, “It’s emotional, just as it was emotional in 2024 when Arab Americans stayed home and did not vote for Kamala Harris because of the war in Gaza, and cost her, arguably, the state of Michigan, even though Democrats were arguing Donald Trump’s going to be a whole lot worse. And he has been, in many ways. So, if you have Jewish voters in Michigan, I’ll say Dana Nessel is one of them, who are worried about your association with Hasan Piker, why keep him so close? Or why not fully disassociate yourself with him, especially when Michigan is so tight? Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) only won by 22,000 votes.”
El-Sayed answered, “So, let me speak to a couple of points here: Number one, I endorsed the vice president on the day after she became the nominee. I did not agree with the administration’s position on Gaza, but I understood that Donald Trump would be worse. So, I am calling on leaders from all of the communities under the Democratic umbrella to recognize that Mike Rogers is an existential threat to everything we believe in when it comes to our democracy. Number two, this campaign is not about a streamer in California. This campaign is about affordability in Michigan. This campaign is about the ability to have healthcare.”
Tur cut in to say, “The streamer in California does campaign with a lot of Democrats. So, he’s not just a streamer.”
El-Sayed responded, “This campaign is about the challenges Michiganders face, and I get that, in the media, it’s a lot easier to pick up one person and be like, this is what this is about. But this is why a lot of people get so frustrated about politics and political media, because it doesn’t actually speak to the challenges they face. Look, I did a whole interview –.”
Tur then cut in to say, “It’s not just the media, and I reject that framing. It’s — 6 in 10 Americans don’t know who he is. And I’m not saying he’s the most important person in the world, but when you have a state like Michigan, where, again, Elissa Slotkin only won by 22,000 votes, is it worth potentially losing the few votes you need to win?”
El-Sayed replied, “10 in 10 Americans agree that they can’t afford the things that they need in their life. So, if folks want to make this about a streamer in California, they’re welcome to do that. But I’m focused on Donald Trump, I’m focused on addressing the affordability crisis, I’m focused on getting you healthcare, and that’s what I’m going to stay focused on.”
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