LIZ PEEK: Hasan Piker is a risky mascot for Democrats chasing disaffected young men

Hasan Piker is a self-described Marxist who lives in a multi-million-dollar condo in West Hollywood, drives a Mercedes and makes millions of dollars every year spewing hateful commentary about America, capitalism and, of course, Israel. He was born in New Jersey to a well-to-do family, grew up in Turkey and says he is a non-practicing Muslim.

That’s it. He hasn’t developed a new political philosophy, created an innovative technology, run a significant organization, or served in our country’s military. He is not a thought leader or an especially witty speaker. Nonetheless, he has gathered millions of followers on Twitch, a platform mostly used by video game enthusiasts, by saying outrageous things like, “America deserved 9/11”.

Most people have never heard of Piker, but suddenly stories about him are popping up everywhere. Rolling Stone, for instance, published a fawning piece that described Piker as a “matinee-handsome progressive icon who’s uniquely talented at translating radical-left politics for Gen Z bros.”

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Why the sudden acclaim? Piker is the new favorite of the radical Left, campaigning with the likes of Abdul El-Sayed, who is running for a vacant senate seat in Michigan, and is the darling of progressives like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Democrats, though, are divided about how to handle Piker. On the one hand, his f-bomb-laden self-absorbed commentary offends most people. On the other, he appeals to a cohort Democrats are desperately trying to woo: young men. President Trump made inroads with numerous Democrat-aligned groups in 2016 and 2024, but none was more consequential than his appeal to young males. In 2024, Trump won men by 12 points after winning that cohort by only 2 points in 2020. Men ages 18-49 went for Trump by 1 point after they chose former President Joe Biden by 10 points in 2020. The hectoring “me-too”-empowered feminism of the Democrat Party, which hates “toxic masculinity” has understandably alienated America’s young men.

Democrats have embarrassed themselves in recent years trying to reverse those losses by concocting stunts aimed at attracting male Millennials (29-45 year-olds) and members of Gen Z (13-29 year-olds). Kamala Harris’ running mate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz set out to show off his red-blooded Midwestern hunting prowess during the 2024 presidential campaign, but fumbled around loading a shotgun; he was further humiliated by staging a video in which he tinkers with his International Harvester Scout engine like, you know, a real guy, but with spotlessly clean hands.

The same quest has led Democrats to seek out rugged candidates like Graham Platner, their pick to run against Senator Susan Collins in Maine. Platner had it all – an oysterman and veteran who was described by GQ as “the virile, earthy working man many male politicians wish they were.” Given that he so perfectly fit the script, Platner was forgiven many peccadillos by Democrats before facing accusations of rape and being drummed out of the race.

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All Democrats seem to lace their discourse today with foul language; they apparently think that’s part of Trump’s locker-room appeal. With Trump, the f-bombs sound genuine; from his opponents, they do not.

Except for Hasan Piker, who curses routinely and appeals to young men online looking for someone to hate.

Piker has chalked up some wins, like being an early supporter of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and some notable losses, like backing Francesca Hong, a gubernatorial candidate in Wisconsin who lost to a moderate Democrat despite polls showing her up by some 20 points. Evidently Hong’s past comments about wanting to cancel Thanksgiving and abolish the police did not sit well with voters. AOC and Bernie were smart enough to steer clear of Hong’s comically bad run, but Piker jumped all-in. He was furious that she lost and blamed her defeat on Boomers, saying “Outlaw Thanksgiving and outlaw boomers.”

Most recently, Piker whined that Democrats should be defending him. In one of his daily streams, Piker demanded, “Not because you love what I have to say, not because I’m part of this coalition, even though I am, whether you like it or not…”

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His plea surfaced after several Democrats distanced themselves from Piker, declaring him a danger to their party. Lefty media host Joe Scarborough blasted Democrat leaders for not denouncing Piker after the streamer said about Hamas: “it doesn’t matter if rape happened on Oct. 7.” Scarborough is not alone. Shannon Watts, a Democratic activist, recently mocked his efforts to scrub past incendiary remarks, saying he uses his “defense Bingo card: ‘It’s a joke, satire, hyperbole. It’s out of context. It was years ago.” Watts elaborated, “English is my second language. I stream for hours. Bad faith clipping. Smear campaign. Critics are being paid for Israel.’”

But many in the party see Piker as helping to drive turnout and enthusiasm. El-Sayed reportedly saw a 29% boost in volunteer sign-ups after rallying with Piker, as well as a jump in donations. And, they see engagement with those all-important young male voters.

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Piker wants to be taken seriously, but his appeal comes after refusing to endorse Democrats who support Israel, including former Vice President Kamala Harris. Democrats’ long-time support from the Jewish community, that has put him at odds with many in the party.

Piker’s impact will be tested anew, when Florida primary voters will pick either two-term incumbent Democrat Jared Moskowitz or DSA-backed Oliver Larkin to run for the House in Florida’s newly-drawn district 25. Moskowitz is running as a “DeSantis Democrat”, trading on the Republican governor’s popularity and on his own history of working with state officials in emergency management and bringing federal funding to Florida.

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Larkin is a Democrat activist and “proud DSA candidate”, who is campaigning hard, along with Hasan Piker. Polls show the race is close. Larkin has blasted Moskowitz for taking AIPAC money and supporting Israel. It’s a risky posture in a district where Jews account for roughly 25% of voters.

But then, so is campaigning with Hasan Piker.

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