Hong’s Livestream Push Nets $92,000 And Sparks Antisemitism Backlash

Francesca Hong, a leading candidate for governor of Wisconsin, appears on a livestream with Hasan Piker on Monday, June 29. Screenshot via YouTube

When state Rep. Francesca Hong, D-Madison, took part in two livestreams on Monday, it was a sign of the times. Leading Twitch and YouTube streamers have greater reach than many traditional media platforms, and appearances with these new-media influencers are an avenue to broader recognition.

The appearances got eyeballs on Hong, and raised money for her gubernatorial campaign, where she’s a leading Democratic contender. But they also drew criticism for associating with streamers who have made comments some have found to be antisemitic and anti-American in the past.

The two streamers that Hong joined on Monday are well-known leftist provocateurs. Michael Beyer, who goes by Mike from PA, has over 100,000 followers on Twitch. Hasan Piker, among the most successful political streamers around, has more than 3 million.

Piker has said America “deserved” the September 11 attacks, a comment he later said was intended to highlight the United States’ foreign policy choices. He also said that reports of sexual violence during Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks on Israelis “don’t matter” to his broader understanding of the conflict.

Beyer has called Jews a “constructed” and “demonic” ethnicity. He later said he was speaking about Zionists, referring to the political ideology that Israel should exist as a self-determined Jewish homeland.

Ann Jacobs, the Democratic chair of the Wisconsin Elections Commission, said for Hong to stand alongside these men reflects an endorsement of antisemitic ideas. On Wednesday, Jacobs tweeted that Hong was “willing to sell out the Jews of Wisconsin for a few bucks.”

“Why are those people you want to be in conversation with? Is it just for the money? You’re willing to sell out the Jews of Wisconsin so that you can raise money? That’s disturbing,” said Jacobs, who also co-chairs the Jewish Caucus of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, in an interview with WPR.

“I don’t think we should tolerate all forms of opinions,” she added. “I don’t think that we should tolerate antisemitism, Islamophobia, and all these other hate groups that are rampant right now on social media.”

In an extensive response to WPR’s questions, a spokesperson for Hong’s campaign condemned antisemitism among “all forms of dehumanization” that “have no place in Wisconsin politics or in the movement we are building.”

“Appearing on a podcast or livestream is not an endorsement of every statement a host has ever made. Fran is willing to go anywhere and talk to anyone about her vision for a better, more compassionate world,” the spokesperson said. “Sometimes that means talking to people who have said pretty nasty things. Speaking with them isn’t an endorsement of those perspectives; it’s a way to reach people who have been isolated from conversations about community, compassion, and the systems of power and control that contribute to the struggles we share.”

Over the course of those two appearances, in which Hong chatted about Milwaukee’s socialist history, handed out merch and ate Korean food, Hong raised about $92,000 for her campaign — $35,000 from the Beyer stream, $57,000 from appearing with Piker. Piker added that he’d fly out to Wisconsin to help Hong campaign for getting over $50,000.

Francesca Hong, a leading candidate for governor of Wisconsin, appears on a livestream with Hasan Piker on Monday, June 29. Screenshot via YouTube

Rival Democrat calls Piker ‘beyond the pale’

Reaching unusual audiences and untapped voters can make a big difference in a crowded primary, where the outcome can be tipped by just a few thousand votes. But other Democrats running for Wisconsin’s highest office have said they’d draw the line at appearing with certain people, including Piker.

“I am open to all reasonable, pragmatic conversations about how to move our state forward, but Hasan Piker’s statements are beyond the pale and I would not appear with him if invited,” Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley wrote on social media. “This race isn’t about who can generate the most viewers on their livestream by making outrageous and offensive statements.”

Aligning with controversial media figures holds the risk of alienating some voters. But Piker’s star power has benefitted some candidates, especially those on the far left of America’s political spectrum, including ascendant Democratic Socialist candidates. He’s boosted the profile of Abdul El-Sayed, a candidate in Michigan’s Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, and Adam Hamawy’s Congressional race in New Jersey. Piker did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Hong’s campaign said that, when deciding which media to appear on, the primary aim is “reaching people who are being ignored by traditional campaigns and having substantive conversations about policy issues.”

“The platforms that are reaching young, working-class, and politically disengaged voters are going to shape this election, whether Democrats participate or not,” Hong’s spokesperson said. “If we refuse to show up, those voters will hear only from the right, from the conspiracy theorists, or from people who do not share our values.”

Asked how she’d vote if Hong eventually secures the Democratic nomination, Jacobs, who is backing Crowley, said she is a “Democrat through and through.”

“We’re going to be in a position of having to really figure out what could be done to assist the party in bringing skeptical Jews back into the fold,” she said.

Dem socialist Hong’s appearance on left-wing livestreams draws cash, condemnations was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.