In the crowded June 2 Democratic primary to succeed retiring U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-12th), Adam Hamawy pulled off a clear victory. In November he will face Republican candidate Gregg Mele and two independents: Andres Jinete, the Green Party candidate, and Winston Jordan, who has no party affiliation.
Hamawy says his affordability message resonated most.
“I ran on health care, not bombs. Unrigging the economy and abolishing ICE,” Hamawy said in an interview with NJ Spotlight News.
“Democrats are looking for candidates who will be bold fighters and will call out this rigged system. The system is set up so that the corporations benefit, the billionaires are benefiting, and people are working 40 hours a week doing everything right, and yet every year they’re falling behind. People are struggling and it’s getting more difficult and no one is fighting for them.”
Hamawy, a plastic surgeon from Princeton, is a veteran U.S. Army physician who in Iraq helped to save the life of wounded fellow Army soldier Tammy Duckworth. Duckworth later became a Democratic U.S. senator from Illinois.
Concern is growing, though, over his former ties to convicted terrorist Omar Abdel-Rahman, the Egyptian-born militant Muslim cleric. Also known as the “blind sheikh,” Abdel-Rahman was convicted of orchestrating a bombing plot against the United Nations and other landmarks, and was linked to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
Republicans and Democrats alike have criticized Hamawy for testifying for the defense at the trial of Abdel-Rahman, who died in federal custody in 2017. Hamawy counters that he was doing his duty in court.
“I swore an oath as an officer of the United States Army to defend and protect the Constitution of the United States, and I believe in a system of justice and laws that exist,” Hamawy said. “I testified under oath about events that happened. And I stand by that.
Those who don’t believe in that system, he said, will “continue in this path of fascism and authoritarianism” and risk losing democracy.
“Our system was set up so that everyone could have a fair trial. And if my opponents are gonna make normal actions a crime then this is already concerning, especially when I see Democrats beginning to take MAGA and far-right speaking points.”
Hamawy says he met Abdel-Rahman 30 years ago and that he was one of the few religious figures in the area. Hamawy stands behind his own service to the country and his position on Abdel-Rahman’s views and actions.
“Of course I condemned his rhetoric and actions, but I was in the military when this happened during the trial and afterwards, and I was trusted with sensitive roles afterwards as well,” he said. “I treated the victims of terrorism on 9/11 on Ground Zero, and I’ll never forget that day. My patriotism and record of saving lives is clear. And I’m not getting distracted by these smears because this is the kind of anti-Muslim attacks from the right that don’t work anymore.”
He says he’s focused on building a movement to deliver health care and a system where everyone can thrive. And he wants to help put an end to “forever wars” and the U.S. conflict in Iran.
