Democrat candidate uses profanity to defend Hasan Piker as party leaders condemn streamer
Pennsylvania state Rep. Chris Rabb, a socialist Democrat running for Congress, lashed out at party figures distancing themselves from far-left streamer Hasan Piker, who has faced backlash over comments about Jews and the September 11 attacks.
Pennsylvania state Rep. Chris Rabb, the socialist Democrat favored to win a heavily Democratic congressional seat, erupted in a profane social media post Thursday in defense of far-left streamer Hasan Piker, pushing back against a growing wave of party leaders who have condemned the online personality over controversial remarks.
Rabb, who represents Northwest Philadelphia and won a four-way primary in April, wrote on X that institutional Democrats are focusing their energy on disavowing Piker rather than confronting what he called more pressing threats. He listed White Christian nationalists, the wealthy elite and artificial intelligence as issues deserving more attention, then added: «F--- that noise.»
The outburst places Rabb at odds with prominent Democrats, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, who called Piker’s comments about American Jews «dangerous and anti-Semitic.» Jeffries, pressed by CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, said he had addressed the matter as forcefully as he could and would continue to do so.
Piker, a Twitch streamer with millions of followers, has drawn criticism for a range of statements, including a suggestion that the United States deserved the September 11, 2001, terror attacks. More recently, he has been accused of blaming Jewish Americans for violence directed at them over their views on Israel.
Rep. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey called for a vote on a bipartisan resolution condemning Piker and conservative podcaster Candace Owens. In a statement, Gottheimer said Piker’s message to millions of followers that Jewish Americans are bringing violence on themselves is «blatantly antisemitic and one of the oldest tropes in the book.» He added that anyone campaigning with Piker is «complicit» with him.
Rep. Brad Schneider of Illinois also accused Piker this week of «victim-blaming» American Jews and reiterated his earlier description of the streamer as an «unapologetic antisemite.» Schneider warned that Democrats risk losing credibility when they condemn controversial figures on the right while «platforming those who espouse hate of any kind» on their own side.
Schneider also took aim at Abdul El-Sayed, a socialist-aligned candidate running for governor in Michigan, saying El-Sayed had «refused» to condemn Piker. El-Sayed appeared to distance himself from the streamer, telling the Michigan Advance that «nobody speaks for this campaign besides me and my campaign spokespeople» as he faced scrutiny over their association.
Rabb had already embraced his connection to Piker during the primary, appearing with the streamer at an event in West Philadelphia in April. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Rabb told Piker at the time that he would be «slammed for even talking to you» and called such criticism a «double standard because as a Black progressive, I can’t do this: I’m part of the problem or whatever.»
Rabb’s primary victory over state Sen. Sharif Street, the son of a former mayor who was endorsed by several mainstream Democrats, was seen as a test of Philadelphia’s socialist-progressive versus establishment divide. Rabb faces only independent Dennis Mahoney in November in Pennsylvania’s 3rd Congressional District and is strongly favored to succeed retiring Rep. Dwight Evans.
