Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., broke ranks with her fellow Democrats on Saturday, blasting the party for cozying up to socialist streamer Hasan Piker and warning that letting him campaign alongside Democratic candidates ahead of the midterms is a hypocritical mistake.
In a post on X, the Minnesota congresswoman called on her party to live up to the standards it demands of its political opponents.
“As Democrats, we constantly criticize the far-right for their incendiary and discriminatory politics, but we need to hold ourselves to the same standard,” Craig wrote. “Hasan Piker’s rhetoric is polarizing and dangerous, and embracing him as a party is a mistake.”
Craig also said she was “disappointed” that the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party planned to feature Piker at an upcoming event.
Piker is scheduled to appear alongside Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Democratic state Sen. Omar Fateh at an Oct. 26 forum, where the group is set to “discuss Minneapolis, politics and our community.”
The Minnesota event is far from Piker’s only foray into Democratic politics this year. The streamer has hit the campaign trail with several Democratic candidates, including Francesca Hong in Wisconsin, who went from bashing Thanksgiving to professing her love for the holiday, and Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed.
But Piker’s history of inflammatory remarks has left some questioning whether Democrats are wise to welcome him with open arms.
During a September interview with Axios, Piker claimed the United States is “pound for pound” worse than Al-Qaeda. It was not the first time he made such comments. He previously said America “deserved” the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
The Twitch star has also declared that he has “no patriotism” in his heart for America and has said he hates the country. All the while, Piker has prominently displayed a framed newspaper depicting the Twin Towers burning directly behind him on his shows.
El-Sayed, for his part, has been forced to try to put distance between himself and Piker since the two campaigned together a few months ago. The Michigan Democrat has appeared noticeably irritated when pressed about their ties in recent media interviews.
“With all due respect, this is the third time you’ve asked about a Twitch streamer in California,” El-Sayed told CBS reporter Weijia Jiang last month.
Craig’s criticism stands out as a rare instance of a Democrat publicly calling out her own party over its embrace of the controversial online personality. Her message was simple: Democrats cannot attack the far right for incendiary politics while welcoming a figure whose rhetoric she considers polarizing and dangerous.
Craig has represented Minnesota in the House since 2019. She lost to Peggy Flanagan in the Democratic primary earlier this year, and her term in Congress is set to end in early 2027.
With the Oct. 26 forum fast approaching and Piker continuing to appear alongside Democratic candidates across the country, the question of whether the party will heed Craig’s warning or keep embracing the streamer remains open as the midterms draw near.
