Dem seeking NY swing seat defends embracing extremist who said Hamas is 'a thousands times better' than Israel

By Fox News · Fox News

A progressive Democrat vying for a hotly contested New York swing seat in November’s midterm elections is defending her association with controversial far-left streamer Hasan Piker. Effie Phillips-Staley is facing backlash from her own party as she seeks the nomination to take on Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., after she went on Piker’s livestream in late March and called Israel an "apartheid state" and accused the Jewish nation of genocide in Gaza. Democratic county chairs within the suburban New York district Phillips-Staley is running to represent put out a joint statement denouncing Phillips-Staley for participating in the "normalization of antisemitic, racist and misogynist rhetoric." Despite the intraparty criticism, the candidate doubled down. She told Fox News Digital that Piker, 34, provides a vehicle for Democrats to reach young voters. HOUSE SHOWDOWN: DEMOCRAT BACKED BY SANDERS, AOC FACES REPUBLICAN TRYING TO FLIP BLUE-LEANING DISTRICT "While I don’t align with every word Hasan Piker has ever said, we recognize the massive value of a platform that engages millions of young people in the Democratic process," Phillips-Staley said. "As Democrats, our job is to build bridges, not burn them," she added in a statement to Fox News Digital. "We should be inviting young people into the process by building a coalition rooted in collective humanity. I will always fight for universal human rights, and Palestinian self determination while standing firmly against anti-Semitism." Piker once said "America deserved 9/11." He has since characterized that remark as "inappropriate." The streamer has been sharply criticized for calling some Orthodox Jews "inbred" and once described a listener who voiced disapproval of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks on Israel as a "bloodthirsty violent pig dog." He has denied charges of antisemitism despite continuing to argue that Hamas is "a thousand times better" than Israel. Phillips-Staley, who is endorsed by the left-wing Working Families Party and fo…