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A progressive Democrat vying for a hotly contested New York swing seat in November’s midterm elections is defending her association with controversial far-left streamer Hasan Piker.
Effie Phillips-Staley is facing backlash from her own party as she seeks the nomination to take on Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., after she went on Piker’s livestream in late March and called Israel an "apartheid state" and accused the Jewish nation of genocide in Gaza.
Democratic county chairs within the suburban New York district Phillips-Staley is running to represent put out a joint statement denouncing Phillips-Staley for participating in the "normalization of antisemitic, racist and misogynist rhetoric."
Despite the intraparty criticism, the candidate doubled down. She told Fox News Digital that Piker, 34, provides a vehicle for Democrats to reach young voters.
"While I don’t align with every word Hasan Piker has ever said, we recognize the massive value of a platform that engages millions of young people in the Democratic process," Phillips-Staley said.
"As Democrats, our job is to build bridges, not burn them," she added in a statement to Fox News Digital. "We should be inviting young people into the process by building a coalition rooted in collective humanity. I will always fight for universal human rights, and Palestinian self determination while standing firmly against anti-Semitism."
Piker once said "America deserved 9/11." He has since characterized that remark as "inappropriate."
The streamer has been sharply criticized for calling some Orthodox Jews "inbred" and once described a listener who voiced disapproval of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks on Israel as a "bloodthirsty violent pig dog." He has denied charges of antisemitism despite continuing to argue that Hamas is "a thousand times better" than Israel.
Phillips-Staley, who is endorsed by the left-wing Working Families Party and former progressive Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., has largely defended Piker’s controversial comments. She has argued that critics have taken some of his remarks out of context and that he is "on the right side of history" on issues related to Israel and the Palestinian people, during an appearance on the Left Hook podcast.
A campaign spokesman for Rep. Lawler slammed Phillips-Staley’s defense of Piker.
"Embracing an antisemite who praised the 9/11 attacks and sympathizes with terrorists is no longer disqualifying in the modern Democratic Party, and Effie Phillips-Staley is proving that in real time," Ciro Riccardi told Fox News Digital. "Even worse, her Democratic opponents refusing to call Effie out for such offensive behavior shows you just how radical you need to be to win a Democratic primary today."
"Middle of the road voters should take notice and ask themselves whether this who they really want in control of the House," he added, referring to House Democrats.
National Republican Congressional Committee spokeswoman Maureen O’Toole was also critical of Phillips-Staley’s primary opponents — former Biden administration national security official Cait Conley and Rockland County legislator Beth Davidson — for not condemning Phillips-Staley’s appearance on Piker’s livestream.
Conley and Davidson have expressed support for Israel, and the former is backed by the pro-Israel group, Democratic Majority for Israel PAC.
Spokespersons for Davidson and Conley did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Phillips-Staley is among a growing number of progressive Democrats embracing Piker ahead of November’s midterm elections.
Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani have been interviewed by Piker on his show.
Piker recently headlined a campaign event earlier in April for Sen. Bernie Sanders' preferred Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed.
But not all Democrats think the party’s embracing of Piker is a good idea.
A swath of Democratic lawmakers, including Sens. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., and Cory Booker, D-N.J., have distanced themselves from the far-left influencer's platform, citing concern about his past statements.
Phillips-Staley maintains that her hardening anti-Israel stance is the pathway to victory in the battleground district this November.
"Advancing someone who is so close on this issue to Mike Lawler would be a genuine mistake when this is something that the overwhelming majorities of the Democratic party's base are demanding a separation from," Phillips-Staley told Piker, referring to Israel.
Just 13% of Democrats hold a positive view of Israel compared to 57% who view the country negatively, according to a March NBC News survey. Among independents, just over 20% see Israel in a positive light.
It’s unclear if Phillips-Staley’s approach will work in the southern Hudson Valley seat, which is one of the most heavily Jewish districts in the country.
"I've taken a very … what I hope that people perceive to be an authentic and progressive human rights-focused platform and we're going to test it here too," Phillips-Staley told the Breaking Points podcast.
Lawler successfully fended off a challenge from Rep. Mondaire Jones, D-N.Y., in 2024. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates his reelection contest as a "toss-up."
Divisions over Israel are not the only area where Lawler and Phillips-Staley have clashed.
Lawler’s campaign filed a lawsuit on Tuesday alleging the Phillips-Staley campaign forged voter signatures on petitions to be eligible for the Empire State’s June primary. The campaign submitted dozens of sworn affidavits from voters in the district who alleged they never put their names on petitions submitted by the Phillips-Staley campaign.
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