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Controversial Twitch streamer Hasan Piker threw his support behind two far-left candidates running for Congress in New York City, arguing their victories would help push the country closer to socialism.
“For the longest time, I thought we were so far away from socialism, and we might still be far away from socialism, but we do have an opportunity right here right now, more than ever before,” Piker said Thursday at a Brooklyn rally for candidates endorsed by the New York chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America ahead of the state’s June 23 primary.
Leading the DSA-backed slate are State Assemblywoman Claire Valdez, D-N.Y., and activist Darializa Avila Chevalier, whom Piker praised as “giants” of the socialist movement.
“We must seize that opportunity, and you all must continue your own disciplined organizing for that to happen,” Piker told the crowd. “That is the challenge.”
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Both candidates are socialists who want to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), raise taxes on the wealthy and advance the Palestinian cause in Congress. If they win their contested primaries for deep-blue districts, they would almost certainly pad the ranks of the Democratic caucus’ far-left flank.
“I’ve rarely ever seen such tremendous ideological representation at such an important level,” Piker said, referring to Valdez and Avila Chevalier. “I mean, a congressional seat is a tremendous amount of power.”
“What an honor it is to be joined by Darializa on stage,” Valdez jokingly said, referring to a cardboard cutout of Avila Chevalier. “[It’s the] honor of my life to be on a slate with her, with so many of my other socialist comrades.”
Valdez is running for a seat vacated by retiring Rep. Nydia Velazquez, D-N.Y., that spans progressive bastions in Queens and Brooklyn.
Meanwhile, Avila Chevalier is running as a formidable leftist challenger to Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., the chairman of the influential Congressional Hispanic Caucus, in a district covering Upper Manhattan and the West Bronx.
The leftist duo is backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Justice Democrats, the progressive group that helped launch New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s insurgent House campaign in 2018.
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Avila Chevalier has sparked controversy over since-deleted social media posts in which she asserted “Israel doesn’t exist,” voiced literal support for open borders and claimed “all deportation is wrong,” CNN first reported.
The Mamdani ally has also faced scrutiny over calling former President Joe Biden “a rapist” and writing “F— Kamala Harris” in 2021 after the former vice president told Guatemalan nationals not to illegally cross the border.
Piker predicted a wave of socialist victories in New York City would soon eclipse the significance of Mamdani’s mayoral win last year.
“By the end of these midterms, Zohran will seem unremarkable. Because by then, we will have elected so many brilliant fighters into legislative offices throughout New York City and the state,” Piker said, referring to the slate of socialist candidates.
“These are your comrades, these are your fighters,” he continued.
Thursday’s rally comes as Piker, who has sparked widespread backlash over comments saying, “America deserved 9/11,” and Hamas is “a thousand times better” than Israel, has interviewed and campaigned with proudly socialist candidates across the country.
Several Piker allies have lost their primaries, including former Ocasio-Cortez chief of staff Saikat Chakrabarti, who launched a failed bid to succeed former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. However, the socialist streamer did score one notable victory with progressive surgeon Adam Hamawy’s primary victory for a Democratic-heavy New Jersey House seat.
Fox News Digital reached out to spokespersons for Valdez and Avila Chevalier for comment.
Fox News’ Matthew Donnell contributed to this report.
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