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By Anna Skinner
Associate News Editor
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Left-wing streamer Hasan Piker has emerged as a player in several races, leveraging his large online following as he rallies with candidates during this year's midterm election cycle.
The November 3 elections will determine which party controls Congress. Republicans seek to defend their narrow House and Senate majorities and Democrats look to capitalize on competitive races that could flip control of both chambers in their favor. Democrats need a net gain of four seats to win control of the Senate and a net gain of three seats to win the House.
With the stakes high, endorsements from prominent figures including President Donald Trump, former President Barack Obama and other political heavyweights have drawn increased attention. Piker, a progressive online commentator, has also weighed in on several races, making the performance of candidates he has backed a closely watched test of the political influence of online personalities. Piker has used his large audience on Twitch and other platforms to promote candidates and raise campaign funds, and he has appeared at political events.
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However, Piker's political profile has also made him a polarizing figure. Critics have pointed to controversial remarks and positions on foreign policy and antisemitism, while supporters argue that he has helped engage younger voters who may not consume traditional political media.
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Who Has Piker Backed This Year?
Piker has backed several candidates for the House and one Senate candidate that are on Tuesday's ballot. Other candidates Piker backed during the primaries lost their races.
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In the Senate
Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic Senate nominee in Michigan who is competing against Republican Mike Rogers, appeared with Piker at campaign events leading up to the primary but has since distanced himself from Piker after the streamer faced criticism for comments about Israel and Jewish Americans.
El-Sayed has led in most Michigan polls since the primaries. Nonpartisan elections forecaster Cook Political on Monday shifted its rating for the race from toss-up to Lean Democrat.
In the House
The Democratic candidates endorsed or supported by Piker on the ballot:
Mai Vang: A Democrat, Vang is challenging longtime Democratic incumbent Doris Matsui in California's 7th Congressional District, one of several intraparty contests highlighting tensions between the establishment and the progressive wing. Since there are two Democrats running for the same seat, the Cook Political Report has rated the race as “solid D.” Piker has rallied with Vang.
Angela Gonzales-Torres: In California's 34th District, progressive Angela Gonzales-Torres is challenging incumbent Jimmy Gomez in a Democrat-versus-Democrat contest shaped by an ongoing ethics investigation into Gomez. Piker has campaigned with Gonzales-Torres and featured her on his livestream.
Melat Kiros: In Colorado's 1st District, progressive Democrat Melat Kiros is facing Republican Christy Peterson. Cook has rated the race as “solid D.” Piker has appeared alongside Kiros during her campaign.
Rashida Tlaib: Incumbent Democratic Representative Rashida Tlaib is facing Republican James Hooper in Michigan's safely Democratic 12th Congressional District, where the outspoken progressive is heavily favored to win reelection. Cook has rated the election as “solid D.” Tlaib has appeared alongside Piker at events and has been interviewed on his channel.
Donavan McKinney: In Michigan’s 13th Congressional District, progressive Democrat Donavan McKinney is facing Republican Taras Nykoriak. Cook has rated the race as “solid D.” Piker has campaigned with McKinney.
Ilhan Omar: Incumbent Democrat Ilhan Omar is facing Republican John Nagel, a retired Minnesota state trooper, in Minnesota’s safely Democratic 5th Congressional District. Cook has rated the race as “Solid D.” Omar has appeared on Piker’s podcast.
Analilia Mejia: In New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District, Democratic Representative Analilia Mejia faces Republican Joe Hathaway in a race that Cook has rated as “solid D.” Piker has discussed Mejia on his podcast after she won a special election earlier this year.
Adam Hamawy: In New Jersey's 12th Congressional District, Democrat Adam Hamawy is facing Republican Gregg Mele, with the district expected to remain safely Democratic. Cook rated it “solid D.” Piker interviewed Hamawy on his YouTube channel.
Claire Valdez: In New York's 7th Congressional District, Democrat Claire Valdez faces Republican Melvin Rivera in a race that strongly favors Democrats. Cook has rated it as “solid D.” Piker has appeared alongside Valdez at political events.
Darializa Avila Chevalier: Democratic socialist Darializa Avila Chevalier, who unseated Representative Adriano Espaillat in a major primary upset, is favored on Tuesday against Republican Manual Williams in the heavily Democratic New York City-based 13th Congressional District. Cook has rated the race as “solid D.” Piker has interviewed Avila Chevalier on his channel.
Chris Rabb: Chris Rabb, a Democratic socialist, is running to succeed retiring Democratic Representative Dwight Evans in Pennsylvania’s 3rd Congressional District, where he faces Independent Dennis Mahoney rather than a Republican, making the heavily Democratic seat one of the least competitive House races on the ballot. Rabb has appeared alongside Piker at political events.
Summer Lee: Democratic incumbent Summer Lee, a prominent progressive, is favored to defeat Republican James Hayes in Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District. Cook has rated the race as “solid D.” Piker has campaigned alongside Lee.
Justin Pearson: Democrat Justin Pearson is taking on Republican Brent Taylor in Tennessee's 9th Congressional District, a Memphis-area seat. Cook has ranked the race as “likely R.” Pearson was interviewed on Piker’s podcast.
What Happens Next
With many of the candidates backed by Piker running in heavily Democratic districts, a number are expected to win regardless of the endorsements they received. That could make it difficult to determine whether Piker's support itself moved votes or changed election outcomes.
Instead, analysts are likely to focus on whether Piker-backed candidates outperformed expectations, increased turnout among younger voters, boosted fundraising or expanded their margins compared with previous Democratic nominees.
Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Anna Skinner and Dave Siminoff.
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