Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) defended his decision to appear on socialist commentator Hasan Piker's Twitch livestream and said he would do so again despite criticism from fellow Democrats.

Some Democratic colleagues have condemned Piker's past comments as antisemitic, leading to pushback against Khanna's appearance on the popular streaming platform.

Khanna argued Sunday that Democrats who advocate against engaging with personalities like Piker "will cost us future elections." He emphasized the need for the party to expand its outreach efforts following recent electoral losses.

"The lesson of the last election is we've got to be out there. We've got to engage. It's a complex, messy, multiracial democracy," Khanna said, defending his approach to political communication.

The controversy highlights ongoing debates within the Democratic Party about which media personalities and platforms elected officials should engage with as they seek to reach younger and more diverse audiences.

Piker operates one of the most-watched political channels on Twitch, a platform primarily known for video game streaming but increasingly used for political content aimed at younger viewers.