For many of the Michigan State University students who crammed into Anthony Hall Tuesday afternoon for U.S Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed’s campaign stop, his guest, leftist Twitch streamer Hasan Piker was actually the main attraction.
Most of the 13 students The State News interviewed at the rally, which also featured Pennsylvania Rep. Summer Lee, said they had attended the event because Piker would be there but were open to hearing El-Sayed’s message.
“I honestly heard about this just from Hasan because I've been watching him for years,” political science senior Caroline Anderson said before the rally. “I'm excited that he's here doing this because I never expected MSU to be one of the schools he would come to.”
Digital storytelling senior Rachel Kozlowski, said she also heard about the event from Piker.
“It is really inspiring to hear so much of what my generation is feeling coming from people with more power and reach fighting for us,” Kozlowski said.
Since 2018, Piker has grown his fanbase on the live streaming platform Twitch to over 3.1 million followers. He logs on nearly everyday, livestreaming for hours.
Over 37,000 people logged onto Twitch to watch the rally at MSU live.
In the days before the rally, Piker said that his appearance at the rally could help attract disengaged members of the electorate. For some students who showed up, his presence indeed acted as a sort of megaphone for El-Sayed’s platform, attracting potential voters with an enticing slate of policies.
“I really love that (Piker) endorses candidates because I especially believe in this message for Medicare for all,” said nutrition senior Ayesha Alvi.
