Progressive Democrat Dr. Adam Hamawy won the Democratic primary in New Jersey‘s 12th Congressional District, effectively guaranteeing him a seat in Congress.
The Associated Press called the race for Hamawy as the progressive led with 27.4% of the vote and 69% of ballots counted. His victory marks another major win for the ascendant progressive wing of the Democratic Party after Hamawy earned endorsements from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Reps. Ro Khanna (D-CA), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) during his campaign. His impending arrival in Congress is set to further expand the ranks of the so-called Squad.
Hamawy triumphed in a packed race, being one of 12 Democrats vying for the ticket. His progressive Democratic credentials, national attention for providing medical care in Gaza, and military credentials through his service as a combat medic all helped put him ahead of his competition, with the writing on the wall well before polling opened.
His skill in fundraising was also a key boon to his campaign. He raised the most in the race with over $1 million, with much of this coming from small donations from Muslim and Arab Americans. American Priorities, a pro-Palestinian super PAC, has pledged $2 million in TV advertising, though this total likely won’t be needed given the deep-blue nature of the district.
Hamawy’s race gained national attention after his past association with Islamic terrorists came to light during his campaign.
Hamawy’s most troubled connection was with Omar Abdel-Rahman, better known as the “Blind Sheikh,” whom he testified he met in 1991. Abdel-Rahman was the founder and spiritual leader of al Jama’a al Islamiyya, an Islamist terrorist group involved in political violence against the Egyptian government and the United States. He was arrested in 1993 and convicted of seditious conspiracy and terrorism over his involvement in the World Trade Center bombing, earning him a life sentence in solitary confinement.
Hamawy formed a close relationship with the Islamic radical shortly after their meeting, even though Abdel-Rahman had already, by 1991, been charged with providing spiritual support for the assassination of former Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. Hamawy greeted Abdel-Rahman warmly when he entered the courtroom to testify in his defense.
During his testimony, Hamawy revealed that their relationship included home visits, the provision of translation help, and a 13-hour car ride to Detroit to attend an Islamist conference containing radical rhetoric.
Speaking to the Washington Examiner the week before the election, a Hamawy campaign spokesperson said their contact and relationship were due to the small size of New Jersey’s Muslim community at the time.
“At the time, the man in question was one of very few religious figures in what was then a very small Muslim community in New Jersey — he saw him speak in religious settings in his early 20s,” the spokesperson said. “Dr. Hamawy condemns that man’s violent rhetoric and actions, and all violence, hatred, and terrorism — and he will always. Dr. Hamawy had no contact with this person after they were arrested.”
Hamawy’s trip to Bosnia in 1994 also came under scrutiny, after it became known that he volunteered for an organization that was later exposed as an al Qaeda front.
Hamawy’s campaign countered that his work with the group came at the suggestion of the Bosnian mission for assisting the Bosnians through a U.N.-approved route.
“It must be the final days of the election, because the attacks are getting more desperate than ever,” the campaign said. “Dr. Adam Hamawy, as a young medical student and member of the US military, volunteered to provide medical assistance to victims of the Bosnian genocide, per the suggestion the Bosnian mission made to him on how to help via a United Nations-approved route.”
Several of his opponents sought to capitalize on the troubling association, with former Department of Energy official Jay Vaingankar and veteran Shanel Robinson both voicing concern to the Washington Examiner last week.
Despite the concern, Hamawy was ultimately able to get past the concerns and win the Democratic primary. Only one Republican registered to run in the deep-blue district and is all but guaranteed to lose to Hamawy in November.
PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRATIC HOUSE FRONT-RUNNER ADAM HAMAWY FACES SCRUTINY OVER PAST TERRORIST ASSOCIATION
Hamawy is now set to succeed Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), 81, who is retiring after six terms in the House.
In the likely event he wins the general election in November, Hamawy will become the first Muslim to hold office in New Jersey on a national level.