A controversial Democrat won the primary for New Jersey’s 12th District amid renewed scrutiny over his past associations with Islamist figures and his work in Gaza, and Republicans are sharpening their critique ahead of the November contest.
Adam Hamawy, a former Army combat surgeon and 9/11 first responder, emerged victorious in a crowded Democratic primary to replace the retiring congresswoman. His campaign was buoyed by high-profile progressive endorsements and heavy spending from outside groups, which turned a tight local fight into a national story.
Critics on the right say the real story is Hamawy’s record of connections and courtroom testimony tied to extremist figures, especially his role decades ago in the trial of Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman. That history has not gone away; it keeps surfacing as a cautionary tale about judgment and associations that voters should consider before November.
At age 26, Hamawy testified for the defense of the Blind Sheikh during the 1995 trial, and the courtroom exchange has been replayed by opponents ever since. “Did you ever hear Sheik Omar say to Emad Salem to turn his gun on Mubarak?” Lynne Stewart, Abdel Rahman’s lawyer, asked Hamawy. “No,” Hamawy replied.
Prosecutors later argued that Hamawy’s testimony ultimately helped the case against Abdel-Rahman rather than the defense, summed up in the blunt observation: ‘[Hamawy’s] testimony … did more to bolster the prosecution’s proof of a jihadist terrorism conspiracy against the United States than to help the accused.’ That line is now part of the record opponents point to when questioning his judgment.
Hamawy himself described hearing the word “jihad” at the conference where Abdel-Rahman spoke and acknowledged the cleric’s hostile posture toward the United States and Israel. Those admissions are awkward for any candidate running in a tough national security environment, and they give Republicans a clear angle to challenge him on loyalty and perspective.
More fuel for critics came from Hamawy’s recent medical work in Gaza, where he spent weeks in a European hospital during a brutal conflict. He told a student paper, “I didn’t see any guns in the hospital. There was no one that I could identify as a combatant. There were definitely no tunnels underground and no command base there.” Opponents counter that later events undercut that claim.
One year after his visit, an Israeli operation killed a top Hamas leader in a tunnel beneath that same hospital, an event that raises hard questions about what foreign medical volunteers could reasonably claim to know while operating in a war zone. Republicans argue this demonstrates the risk of naïveté or willful blindness when dealing with hostile actors disguised as civilian infrastructure.
Hamawy has also been linked to volunteer work with organizations that later drew scrutiny from authorities for alleged ties to extremist networks during the Bosnian war. He has never been charged with terrorism, but Republicans say past associations matter, especially when mixed with inflammatory endorsements from extreme left figures and groups.
On the campaign trail, Hamawy has embraced progressive policy positions and appeared on high-profile left-wing platforms, where he voiced calls to “abolish ICE” and “dismantle the DHS,” while attacking what he called “the department of war crimes.” His rhetoric gives Republicans ammunition to paint him as far outside the mainstream on border and national security policy.
With the general election looming in a district that normally leans Democratic, the race will test how much voters weigh character and national security concerns against party loyalty. Republicans are already positioning Gregg Mele as the law-and-order alternative, calling attention to gaps they say Hamawy’s record leaves open.
The coming months will be a clarifying moment for voters who want straightforward answers about national security, judgment, and the company candidates keep. For Republicans, the focus is simple: press the contrast and make these issues front and center in the campaign.
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