Stephen A. Smith warns Hasan Piker will contaminate Democrats in midterms, come back to haunt them

ESPN personality Stephen A.Smith warned Thursday that far-left streamer Hasan Piker could become a general election liability for Democrats, telling Politico host Dasha Burns during “The Conversation with Dasha Burns” that Piker’s influence could hurt the party beyond its progressive base and give Republicans ammunition against candidates who embrace him.Smith said he believed Piker’s growing political footprint would ultimately hurt Democrats.“It’s a negative because I think, over the long haul, from a general populist perspective, it’s going to contaminate the electorate on the left side of the aisle,” he said.

“It’s going to come back to haunt them.”The Republican National Committee (RNC) has already sought to turn Piker’s relationship with Democratic candidates into a broader indictment of the party.RNC national press secretary Natalie Baldassarre told Fox News Digital in August that Democrats were refusing to confront Piker’s influence as Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed faced scrutiny over campaigning with the streamer.“El-Sayed is a terrorist sympathizer and an America-hating socialist,” Baldassarre said.“His refusal to distance himself from Hamas-hugging radicals like Hasan Piker reaffirms his true allegiance is to terrorist groups, not America.“Democrats’ refusal to disavow this clown shows they either share his poisonous ideology or they’re too cowardly to confront it.”Smith’s warnings came as Piker’s role in Democratic politics has become an issue in one of the country’s most consequential Senate races.A recent Fox News poll of Michigan registered voters found Republican nominee Mike Rogers leading El-Sayed 51% to 47%, within the margin of sampling error.

While 98% of self-described Democratic Socialists of America supporters backed El-Sayed, his support dropped to 69% among non-DSA Democrats and independents.El-Sayed previously explained directly to Smith why he has resisted pressure ...