Hasan Piker, the prominent Twitch streamer and outspoken supporter of the Democratic Socialists of America, reacted angrily Tuesday night after Wisconsin state Rep. Francesca Hong lost the Democratic gubernatorial primary to Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, as reported [1] by The New York Post.
Hong had entered Election Day with a substantial polling advantage, but Crowley ultimately defeated her by more than 3,000 votes.
Piker, who had campaigned alongside Hong during the closing weeks of the primary, blamed older voters for the result and questioned the broader strategy of the campaign.
Piker appeared especially frustrated while discussing a late-deciding voter who supported Crowley despite expressing support for Hong.
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“I don’t want to read this because I will f—ing kill myself with a gun in a video game,” Piker said after reading the account.
“I can’t. I’m in a good mood overall,” he continued. “I want to put boomers in the machine, in the contraption, and not just boomers, like anyone that says that.”
As the results came in Tuesday evening and Hong began falling short of expectations, Piker also remarked, “Outlaw Thanksgiving and outlaw boomers.”
Hong had faced scrutiny during the campaign over previous positions that included calls to abolish police departments and cancel Thanksgiving.
She attempted to downplay some of those positions during the primary campaign.
Piker had interviewed Hong on his livestream program June 30, 2026.
During that appearance, Hong expressed support for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement, government-run grocery stores and a one-year moratorium on data centers, among other proposals.
Piker later acknowledged on X that his involvement with the campaign may have contributed to Hong’s defeat.
“This is part of why we came close to a victory but ultimately lost. i should never be the biggest surrogate of a campaign. POCAN, or national progs, would’ve alleviated some of the “electability” concerns of Hong, which were overstated & outright weaponized in the last week…”
He followed that post with another assessment of the campaign:
“”electability” in the primaries and “harm reduction” in the general still carry lots of boomers when it’s paired w/ a barrage of negative earned media + no defensive TV ads + no national prog endorsements. All in all, an unbelievably impressive showing for DSA Wisco ground game”
It remained unclear whether Piker’s admission was intended seriously or partly as sarcasm, given his history of provocative commentary.
Hong had been viewed as a rising figure on the party’s progressive [2] left and received support from Piker during the final stretch of the primary.
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Her campaign nevertheless encountered difficulties over positions that opponents highlighted as outside the mainstream of the electorate.
Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez did not endorse Hong during the Wisconsin primary, even as both backed other progressive candidates in competitive Democratic contests.
In Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed defeated Rep. Haley Stevens after receiving strong backing from Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez.
In Minnesota, Peggy Flanagan defeated Rep. Angie Craig in the Democratic Senate primary with support from the two progressive leaders.
Neither El-Sayed nor Flanagan had called for canceling Thanksgiving, however.
The Wisconsin result represented a setback for the Democratic Party’s socialist wing after Hong had maintained a double-digit polling advantage in much of the campaign.
Crowley’s victory demonstrated that the electorate did not necessarily follow the expectations established by pre-election surveys.
Piker had also appeared alongside Hong and Rep. Ilhan Omar at a campaign event in Milwaukee on Aug. 2, 2026.
His public support made him one of the more visible progressive surrogates for the Hong campaign.
The primary outcome now leaves Crowley as the Democratic nominee for Wisconsin governor.
Piker’s reaction has added another layer to the post-election debate over whether Hong’s campaign could have benefited from more traditional Democratic endorsements and a less polarizing public profile.
For a campaign that had spent weeks emphasizing its progressive credentials, Tuesday night’s result offered a reminder that winning a primary still requires convincing voters outside the online activist bubble.