Hasan Piker is becoming the 'face of the progressive movement,' former Democratic operative warns

Controversial Twitch streamer Hasan Piker has found himself at the center of a debate about the direction of the Democratic Party and generations of voters to come.

However, recently on his stream, which he does for hours every day, the far-left commentator has claimed the media is making him out to have more influence than he actually does.

Evan Barker, author of "Nothing Left: Confessions Of A Democratic Operative," disagrees with Piker's analysis of his own popularity — he has more than 3 million followers on Twitch and millions more across other social media accounts — pointing to the increasing number of candidates who have invited him to campaign with them.

"Why would these candidates have this desire to bring him into their state, to campaign alongside him if he wasn't influential, to hold press junkets with him, to invite him to barbecues? Like, why would they be doing that if he didn't have influence? Like, clearly, he does," Barker told Fox News Digital.

Barker is no stranger to Democratic politics.

She raised tens of millions of dollars for Democratic candidates, campaigned for Hillary Clinton and worked for candidates backed by Sen.

Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.

EX-DEM OPERATIVE DETAILS 'NEW DONOR ESTABLISHMENT' BEHIND MAMDANI-ERA PROGRESSIVES: 'NOT FROM THE GRASSROOTS' Barker eventually broke with the party in 2024, a journey she details in her new book.

She told Fox News Digital that Democrats are "testing their limits with the popularity" in areas of the country that aren't deep blue, especially when campaigning with Piker.

"It's one thing to appear on somebody's podcast, it's another to have them come campaign for you," she said.

Piker's hours-long stream primarily focuses on politics.

He has backed several candidates in the 2026 cycle, including Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed and Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong.

While El-Sayed won his primary race, Hong lost to Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, who has since said he was not planning on campaigning with Piker.