ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith warned Thursday that progressive streamer Hasan Piker’s growing influence could create problems for Democrats in general elections, arguing that Republicans could use Piker’s controversial political record and relationships with Democratic candidates as campaign ammunition, as reported by Fox News.

During an appearance on Politico host Dasha Burns’ “The Conversation with Dasha Burns,” Smith said Piker’s expanding role in progressive politics could eventually reach beyond the party’s activist base and become a liability with a broader electorate.

Smith said he believes Piker’s influence could ultimately damage Democrats rather than help them.

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“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 warning comes as Piker’s relationship with Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed has become an issue in one of the country’s closely watched Senate contests.

Piker has endorsed El-Sayed and appeared with him at multiple campaign events. The streamer also appeared alongside El-Sayed during his primary night gathering.

The Republican National Committee has sought to make the relationship part of a broader argument about the Democratic Party’s direction.

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RNC national press secretary Natalie Baldassarre told Fox News Digital in August that Democrats were unwilling to confront Piker’s influence as El-Sayed faced criticism for campaigning alongside him.

“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.”

El-Sayed has defended his decision to engage with Piker’s large audience rather than disavow the streamer outright.

During an earlier conversation with Smith, El-Sayed explained why he believes reaching Piker’s followers is important to his campaign.

“What I'm saying is there are 3 million people who listen to Hasan,” El-Sayed said.

“I want to offer them a pathway into an electoral movement where, rather than sit outside of the electoral system, they see a pathway around the things that they agree with that he says that I agree with and a pathway that disavows the things that I disagree with. And, so, it's important.”

Smith then summarized the strategy as an attempt to attract Piker’s audience without necessarily embracing Piker himself.

“So, you're not thinking about him. You’re not thinking about him. You’re thinking about the 3 million people that support him, and you're trying to get those votes. That's what you're saying?” Smith said.

El-Sayed confirmed that assessment.

“Exactly,” he said.

The political stakes were highlighted by a recent Fox News poll of registered voters in Michigan. Republican nominee Mike Rogers led El-Sayed 51% to 47%, a result within the poll’s margin of sampling error.

The poll also found a substantial difference between El-Sayed’s support among Democratic Socialists of America supporters and his support among Democrats and independents outside the DSA.

Ninety-eight percent of self-described DSA supporters backed El-Sayed, while his support fell to 69% among non-DSA Democrats and independents.

Piker’s relationship with El-Sayed has also come under additional scrutiny following controversy surrounding comments the streamer made about American Jews and Israel.

Fox News Digital reported last week that El-Sayed attempted to put some distance between his campaign and Piker following the backlash.

Piker has faced political controversy for years. Among the comments that have drawn attention was his 2019 declaration that “America deserved 9/11,” a statement he later retracted.

More recent remarks involving Israel and American Jews have also generated criticism.

Shapiro and other conservative commentators have increasingly focused on Piker’s influence as progressive activists and Democratic candidates seek to reach younger voters online.

For Democrats, the dispute presents a political question that goes beyond one Senate race: whether the large online audiences cultivated by progressive influencers can help expand the party’s coalition or instead give Republicans additional material to use against Democratic candidates in general elections.

Smith’s comments suggest he believes the latter could become a significant concern as Piker’s political profile continues to grow.

Fox News Digital reached out to Piker, the Democratic National Committee and the Republican National Committee for comment but did not immediately receive responses.

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