- Adam Hamawy won the Democratic primary for New Jersey's 12th Congressional District
- He is a US Army veteran, plastic surgeon, and conflict-zone medical worker in Gaza
- Hamawy supports progressive policies like Medicare for All and abolishing ICE
Adam Hamawy, a United States Army veteran and plastic surgeon, has won a crowded Democratic primary for an open seat in the House of Representatives.
He is also a conflict-zone medical worker with extensive experience in Gaza. Hamawy's victory secures him the Democratic nomination for New Jersey's 12th Congressional District. The Egypt-born doctor is now most likely the Democratic nominee for the November election, where he will face Republican Gregg Mele.
If elected, he will become the only member of Congress with firsthand experience of Israel's war on Gaza.
Who Is Adam Hamawy?
Adam Hamawy, 56, lives in South Brunswick and runs a plastic surgery practice in Princeton. He also served as a first responder at the World Trade Center after the 9/11 attacks. His campaign is strongly progressive, supporting policies such as “Medicare for All,” abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and dismantling the Department of Homeland Security.
The army veteran was part of the medical mission to the Palestinian enclave in 2024. When Hamawy travelled to Washington, DC, to share his experience with lawmakers, he got mixed responses. While some were supportive of his claims, others were privately critical or unwilling to meet him, according to Al Jazeera.
Hamawy added that the experience motivated him to run for Congress to address the issue directly. The US Congress plays a major role in aspects such as approving military aid to Israel. It also has the power to pass laws that could block arms transfers. Several high-profile endorsements have supported Hamawy's rise. This includes Senator Tammy Duckworth. She credits Hamawy with helping save her life after her helicopter was shot down in Iraq in 2004.
Duckworth also supported him when Israel briefly blocked his Gaza medical mission from leaving in 2024. Hamawy also received a key endorsement from Senator Bernie Sanders in May. In the final days of the primary, Hamawy faced scrutiny over past ties to Omar Abdel-Rahman, a convicted New Jersey Muslim leader linked to 1995 attacks on the US. Hamawy has never been accused of criminal wrongdoing.
As a plastic surgeon, he specialises in both aesthetic and reconstructive procedures, according to his website. Hamawy trained at UT Southwestern Medical Center and Weill Cornell School of Medicine. He completed his undergraduate studies in 1991 at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree.
