A New Jersey plastic surgeon and former Army combat medic who faced scrutiny over his past connections to a convicted Islamic cleric has won a crowded Democratic primary for a U.S. House seat, positioning him to likely join Congress next year.
Adam Hisham Hamawy emerged victorious in a 12-candidate Democratic primary to replace retiring Rep. Bonnie Watson-Coleman, D-N.J., according to The Associated Press. The district, centered around Trenton and parts of central New Jersey, is considered strongly Democratic, making Hamawy the favorite heading into the general election.
Born in Egypt and raised in New Jersey, Hamawy entered the race with support from several prominent progressive figures, including Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. He also received backing from pro-Palestinian political groups and grassroots activists.
Despite his strong showing in the race, Hamawy faced questions throughout the campaign about his involvement with Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman, the radical cleric known as the “Blind Sheikh.” Abdel Rahman was convicted in the 1990s for his role in a terrorism conspiracy that included inciting the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, which killed six people and injured more than 1,000 others.
Hamawy testified as a defense witness during Abdel Rahman’s 1996 trial, a fact that resurfaced during the congressional campaign. Critics argued that his association with the cleric raised concerns about his judgment, while Hamawy and his campaign rejected those criticisms as attempts to unfairly link him to crimes he neither supported nor participated in.
Andrew McCarthy, the former federal prosecutor who led the government’s case against Abdel Rahman, told Fox News Digital that Hamawy’s testimony ultimately strengthened the prosecution’s arguments rather than helping the defense.
“As was uniformly the case with witnesses presented in the extensive defense case, his testimony, once cross-examination was over, did more to bolster the prosecution’s proof of a jihadist terrorism conspiracy against the United States than to help the accused,” McCarthy said.
Hamawy has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and has never been accused of a crime related to the case.
Additional scrutiny centered on his brief volunteer work in 1994 with an organization in Eastern Europe that was later linked to al Qaeda, according to reporting by Jewish Insider. Hamawy has maintained that his involvement was limited and occurred before any alleged connections became publicly known.
Several opponents sought to make those issues central to the race. Plainfield Mayor Adrian Mapp described Hamawy as an extremist, while Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., publicly called for additional explanations regarding his past associations.
Still, the criticism failed to significantly slow Hamawy’s momentum in a fragmented primary field. With no clear alternative candidate emerging, he maintained support from progressive voters and outside groups investing heavily in the contest.
Hamawy is perhaps best known outside politics for his military service. During the Iraq War, he treated then-Army helicopter pilot Tammy Duckworth after she suffered severe combat injuries. Duckworth, who now serves as a Democratic senator from Illinois, has credited Hamawy with helping save her life.
The two remain close. Hamawy has said Duckworth later assisted efforts to secure his evacuation from Gaza in 2024 after a humanitarian medical mission became stranded near Khan Younis due to border closures.
Following that trip, Hamawy publicly criticized the humanitarian conditions he witnessed in Gaza, saying he had never before seen such extensive destruction and harm affecting medical workers and healthcare facilities.
With the Democratic nomination secured, Hamawy is now positioned to compete in the general election for a seat that has consistently favored Democratic candidates and is widely viewed as one of the party’s safer congressional districts.