If you’ve never heard of Hasan Piker — the wildly popular gaming livestreamer, influencer and far-left political commentator with more than three million followers on Twitch, nearly two million on YouTube, more than two million on Instagram and over a million followers on X — you’re got plenty of company.

More than half of Democratic voters have no idea who he is. Yet over the past week, Piker has become the latest flashpoint in Democratic politics, with some moderate Democrats condemning him, while progressive Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed plans to hit the campaign trail with him next week.

Piker, a charismatic online personality, also had a dark side: a voluminous history of making antisemitic, misogynistic and downright offensive and inappropriate statements on his YouTube channel. Though his audience is massive, why any Democrat, progressive or moderate wants to be linked to him is baffling. For Democrats intent on winning back the House and Senate — and running against a historically unpopular incumbent president this November — Piker is a political distraction and potential liability.

Piker, who self-describes as a Marxist, infamously declared in 2019 that “America deserved 9/11.” He has repeatedly called Orthodox Jews “inbred,” compared Zionism to Nazism and said “Hamas is a thousand times better” than Israel.”.....

And it’s not as if Piker is a great friend to the Democratic Party. He has repeatedly criticized Democrats, particularly for their ideological moderation and ties to corporate interests. He didn’t endorse Kamala Harris in 2024 or Joe Biden in 2020, offering at best tepid support. (Though the Harris campaign did invite him to livestream from the 2024 Democratic National Convention as part of its “Creators for Kamala” initiative.) Piker is a leftist, not a Democrat......

But 55% of Democrats have never heard of Piker, and of those who have, only 13% view him favorably.....

Indeed, if the paragon of liberal politics — and the person who can attract young voters — is a guy who regularly makes antisemitic statements, blames America for 9/11 and can’t even endorse a Democratic presidential standard-bearer, perhaps the problem is not Piker’s critics, but rather those who feel they must defend him. Put aside the suspect morality of supporting someone with this kind of rhetorical track record — and the message sent to American Jews, who have long been one of the most dependable voting blocs for Democrats — how does anyone see Piker as a political asset for Democrats?

For all the voters Piker could potentially attract to the candidates he supports, there are almost certainly more who would be repelled by him. If liberal Democrats were smart, the less voters heard about Piker between now and November, the better.