Kansas City Democrat Hartzell Gray emphasized his Democratic Socialist policy platform in a wide-ranging interview with controversial pundit Hasan Piker on Sunday.

Gray, a former radio host, activist and community organizer, is seeking the Democratic nomination for Missouri’s 4th Congressional District. Gray is endorsed by Kansas City’s branch of the Democratic Socialists of America, and represents the insurgent left flank of the Democratic Party in the race.

“These clowns, these Republicans, these sell-out Democrats, they have shown their asses, and so now it’s time for us to come after theirs, and that’s exactly what we are doing,” Gray said.

During the off-the-cuff interview on the livestreaming platform Twitch, Gray and Piker went back and forth on progressive policy, Kansas City politics and their belief that further left candidates can flip Republican districts. The interview took place after left-wing Democrats swept deep blue House races in the New York primary elections.

“When we say run candidates everywhere, run socialist candidates everywhere, we’ve got to make sure that we run those that are going to be red-to-blue flips,” Gray said.

Gray is one of seven Democratic candidates seeking the nomination for the newly gerrymandered 4th district, which snakes up Kansas City’s urban core and down through a vast swath of rural western Missouri. Rep. Mark Alford, a Kansas City Republican, currently holds the seat, but won it before lawmakers redrew the map in a special session last year.

Alford cruised to victory in 2024, securing 71% of the vote. The margins will likely be tighter after partisan gerrymandering cut Kansas City into three districts, but Republicans still hold a ten-point advantage, according to Princeton University’s Gerrymandering Project.

Gray championed policies popular with the progressive left, like Medicare for All, abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement and ending diplomatic ties to Israel, which he called an apartheid state.

He also criticized local politicians for supporting economic development deals with sports teams to construct new stadiums, Kansas City’s creation of a modular jail for the World Cup and the reinstatement of fees for Kansas City bus routes.

Piker is a controversial figure in American politics, but has built a dedicated following among socialists and progressives. He’s among the most popular streamers on Twitch, a livestreaming platform, but has faced scrutiny over statements he’s made during livestreams.

Piker acknowledged that his appearance on the stream could cause controversy for Gray.

“They’re gonna say this guy went on a broadcast of a person who said America deserves 9/11,” Piker told Gray during the interview.

Near the end of the interview, Piker said that his viewers donated over $30,000 to Gray’s campaign.

Gray took shots at Alford and Jordan Herrera, one of his Democratic challengers in the primary. Herrera released a statement in response to Gray’s appearance, which pushed back on some of what Gray said about his position on artificial intelligence, data centers and the Israel-Gaza War.

“This campaign has always been about service. I’ve served my country, served my state and I’m asking for the opportunity to serve Missouri’s Fourth District in Congress,” Herrera said.

A spokesperson for Alford didn’t respond to a request for comment.

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