Former Army Surgeon Adam Hamawy Wins New Jersey House Seat
Democrat Adam Hamawy has won election to represent New Jersey's 12th Congressional District in the US House of Representatives, Anadolu Agency reported. He defeated Republican Gregg Mele. Al Jazeera described him as the first Muslim American elected to Congress from New Jersey.
The district covers parts of Mercer, Middlesex, Somerset and Union counties in central New Jersey. The Associated Press has described it as a safe, heavily Democratic district. Hamawy succeeds Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman, who is retiring, according to the New Jersey Monitor. He first had to get through a crowded Democratic primary, held on June 2, and the AP reported that he won that contest.
Hamawy was born in Egypt, moved to New Jersey as a baby and grew up in Old Bridge. He studied at Rutgers University and earned his medical degree from New Jersey Medical School. He is 56, an Egyptian-American reconstructive surgeon and a US Army veteran.
His military service began with the New Jersey National Guard. In 2004 he served a nine-month deployment in Baghdad, Iraq, as a combat trauma surgeon. In November of that year he treated Tammy Duckworth, an Army helicopter pilot whose aircraft had been shot down in Iraq. Duckworth later became a US senator. Hamawy also served as a first responder after the September 11 attacks. In total he spent eight years as an Army officer, according to Al Jazeera.
Al Jazeera reported that Hamawy's work in Gaza shaped his path into politics. He joined medical missions to Gaza in 2024 and 2025 before running for office. His campaign was built around the phrase "healthcare not bombs."
Hamawy has said he is not a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, according to the Associated Press, which had reported on questions about the group's members running for Congress.
