Antisemitism Is a Scourge, and We Need to Address It in All Its Forms

But I want to be crystal clear, nobody speaks for this campaign besides me and my campaign spokespeople. 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. The statement marks El-Sayed's clearest attempt to disentangle his campaign from Piker, whom he embraced during the primary despite the streamer's contentious rhetoric.

It reflects his efforts to win back Jewish Democrats and moderates in the state after a primary campaign that alienated many of those voters in the key Senate race. During a Thursday livestream, Piker called "the idea that Jews are monolithic" in their support of Israel "a very dangerous mode of propaganda. "If Jews in America keep putting this — this idea out there that they are singularly invested in Israel, eventually someone's going to come around and take action, not against the state of Israel, mind you, but against American Jews, he continued.

"We're teaching people the wrong lesson. At the end of the day, American Jews do not prioritize Israel, but they do prioritize antisemitism. During Piker's remarks, the stream displayed a social media post showing Michigan Democratic congressional nominee and state Sen.

Jeremy Moss, who is Jewish and a supporter of Israel. The post originated from the group Track AIPAC, and featured an image from Moss' Instagram account of him in Tel Aviv next to the group's signature red graphic noting contributions from "pro-Israel donors" to Moss' campaign. Moss' support for Israel has made him a lightning rod among progressives opposed to pro-Israel Democrats.

An audio clip alleged to be a recording of Moss claiming the purpose of his campaign is to maintain U.S. support for Israel went viral online over the weekend." Moss told The Detroit News that it was a fake, and that "I would never say these things. A spokesperson for Moss did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Piker's remarks. El-Sayed has struggled to unify Michigan Democrats since edging out a victory in a bitter primary marked by accusations of antisemitism — partly due to his own views on Israel, and partly due to his embrace of Piker, who has risen to prominence through controversial and vocal attacks on Israel.

El-Sayed also drew criticism from the Jewish community for his response after a man attacked a Michigan synagogue in March. El-Sayed condemned the attack but pointed out the Israeli military killed some of the attacker's family in Lebanon, saying "hurt people hurt people. He also received blowback for declining repeatedly to answer whether Israel has a right to exist during a CNN interview in June.

His primary campaign made Stevens' acceptance of contributions from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee a central issue, accusing the group of unfairly influencing the race and steering the party towards stronger U.S. relations with Israel, which he opposes. AIPAC spent $30 million in the race, a record for the group. El-Sayed has repeatedly condemned antisemitism throughout his campaign.

His failure to corral support from many Jewish voters in Michigan threatens to undermine Democrats' chances of winning the Senate. The state's significant Muslim and Arab-American population and its prominent Jewish population pose unique challenges for Democrats' messaging around Israel — a problem then-Vice President Kamala Harris struggled to navigate in the 2024 presidential election. Piker's comments drew a forceful rebuke from Rep.

Hillary Scholten (D-Mich.), who endorsed El-Sayed's opponent Rep. Haley Stevens in the primary and has so far declined to endorse El-Sayed, excoriating Piker's comments as "dangerous" and "unacceptable. "Piker is a hack who thrives on hate, shock and awe because he lacks substance, she said. We should all be calling out this disgusting rhetoric so it loses it's grip on our politics once and for all.