Vast majority of Americans reject anti-Israel radicals on left and right – poll

New survey shows little support on either side of the aisle for far-left pro-Hamas commentator Hasan Piker and right-wing conspiracy theorist Candace Owens.

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News

A new national poll found overwhelming majorities of US voters want the Democratic and Republican parties to reject controversial commentators Hasan Piker and Candace Owens, even as the survey showed a sharp generational divide over Israel and Hamas.

The August Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll found 77% of registered voters said the Democratic Party should reject Piker, a left-wing pro-Hamas streamer who has become increasingly involved in progressive Democratic politics, while 23% said the party should embrace him.

The opposition crossed party lines: 79% of Republicans, 72% of Democrats and 80% of independents and other voters said Democrats should reject him.

Owens, a prominent far-right pundit who has become an increasingly outspoken critic of Israel and promoter of antisemitic conspiracy theories, received a nearly identical result.

Seventy-five percent of voters said Republicans should reject figures such as Owens, against 25% who favored embracing them. That included 73% of Republicans, 76% of Democrats and 76% of independents and others.

The questions were framed around some of the most controversial rhetoric associated with the two personalities rather than asking voters for neutral favorability ratings.

Respondents were asked whether Democrats should “embrace or reject people like Hasan Piker who have said things like America deserved 9/11?”

The Owens question asked whether Republicans should “embrace or reject people like Candace Owens who have said things like the Jews are behind everything?”

Piker said during a 2019 livestream that “America deserved 9/11,” a comment that has repeatedly resurfaced as his political profile has grown.

The poll comes amid a new controversy surrounding Piker’s comments about American Jews and Israel.

During an August 20 livestream, Piker warned that American Jews who publicly associate themselves with Israel could become targets of violence.

“If Jews in America keep putting this idea out there that they are singularly invested in Israel, eventually someone’s going to come around and take action,” Piker said, adding: “Not against the state of Israel, mind you, but against American Jews.” He also called Israel “Jewish ISIS” and accused pro-Israel Jews of “making antisemitism worse.”

Those comments drew condemnation from a number of Democrats, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin and Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff. Jeffries described the suggestion that Jews were bringing violence upon themselves as “dangerous and antisemitic,” while Ossoff called Piker’s rhetoric “reckless and dangerous.”

Piker has denied that his statements were antisemitic and said he was warning about rising antisemitism rather than threatening Jews. In response to previous criticism, he has argued that political leaders deliberately conflate criticism of Israel with anti-Jewish hatred.

Owens has faced separate criticism from lawmakers and Jewish organizations over statements and conspiracy theories concerning Jews and Israel.

A bipartisan House resolution introduced earlier this year by Republican Rep. Mike Lawler and Democratic Rep. Josh Gottheimer accused Owens of promoting theories that Israel controls the US government, making false claims about Jewish religious teachings and casting doubt on Holocaust survivor testimony.

The resolution described rhetoric from both Owens and Piker as “dangerous” and contributing to “a climate of hatred and intolerance.”

The new poll suggests that neither figure’s rhetoric has broad political appeal — but it also found significant fractures in American attitudes toward Israel itself.

Asked which side they supported more in the Israel-Hamas conflict, 70% of voters chose Israel and 30% chose Hamas. Republicans backed Israel by 84%-16%, independents by 68%-32% and Democrats by a narrower 57%-43%.

Among voters aged 18 to 24, however, 54% said they supported Hamas more and 46% Israel. Support for Israel increased steadily among older respondents, reaching 84% among voters 65 and older.

A separate question found 74% of voters believe Israel “has a right to exist as the homeland of the Jewish People,” compared with 26% who disagreed.

That position was supported by 82% of Republicans, 69% of Democrats and 72% of independents. But among 18-to-24-year-olds, the split was almost even, with 51% saying Israel has that right and 49% saying it does not.

The Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll was conducted online August 28-30 among 2,100 registered US voters. The results were weighted to reflect the national electorate, and the poll reported a margin of error of plus or minus 2.1 percentage points.