Army surgeon Adam Hamawy wins crowded New Jersey primary in 12th Congressional District

Dr. Adam Hamawy won New Jersey’s crowded Democratic primary for the 12th Congressional District on Tuesday, positioning himself to succeed retiring U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman in a district Democrats have long dominated.

Hamawy will face Republican Greg Mele, who ran unopposed in the primary, in November’s general election.

The Associated Press declared Hamawy the winner at 9:36 p.m., with Hamawy leading the other Democratic candidates with 27.4 % of the vote. He defeated Matt Adams, Sue Altman, Brad Cohen, Elijah Dixon, Kyle Little, Adrian Mapp, Verlina Reynolds-Jackson, Shanel Robinson, Squire Servance, Sujit Singh, Jay Vaingankar and Sam Wang.

At the Princeton Marriott, a large crowd of Hamawy supporters cheered as the results came in. Sireen Sawalha moved to New Jersey 26 years ago and now lives in Princeton. She said Hamawy will work for every New Jersey resident.

“He is thinking of the people of New Jersey, he has an affordable health plan,” she said. “As a Palestinian and a Muslim I wanted to see some representation in our government. He has served his country, America, and at the same time he stands for justice and what is right. He will make a great Congressman.”

Who is Adam Hamawy?

Adam Hamawy is a plastic and reconstructive surgeon who served as a combat trauma surgeon and became a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army. He worked with medical teams in combat and disaster zones, including in Iraq and Haiti. He is credited with helping to save the life of Illinois Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth in Iraq.

His campaign has focused on economic issues affecting working-class families in New Jersey. He called for Medicare for All, empowering Medicare to negotiate for lower prescription drug pricing, strengthening public education, abolishing and holding immigration officials accountable for misconduct, and dismantling the Department of Homeland Security, while also advocating for economic justice, environmental protection, human rights and veterans’ services.

On his website, Hamawy says he is running to make a difference.

“This is not about Republicans or Democrats. Both parties have failed to address the problems facing our families – affordability, health care, education, and so much more,” he said.

Who is Greg Mele?

Gregg Mele is an attorney practicing corporate law, contracts, securities, real estate and estate planning. He previously worked on Wall Street and has taught graduate-level courses in law and economics.

His campaign has focused on lowering taxes, ensuring personal and medical freedom over mandates, supporting small businesses, expanding school choice and working to make legal gun ownership easier. He has also publicly supported calls to strengthen border security.

He said his campaign aims to encourage self-sufficiency.

“I want people to stop depending on the government for survival and be able to survive on their own. It is essential to any free society,” he said on his website.

Mele has run unsuccessfully for public office seven times, in different districts, as an independent, a libertarian and now as a Republican.

Where is New Jersey’s 12th Congressional District?

The 12th Congressional District covers parts of Mercer, Middlesex, Somerset and Union counties.

According to the most recent New Jersey Division of Elections data, there are 230,363 registered Democrats, 97,594 registered Republicans and 214,614 independent and other voters in the 12th District. In the 2024 general election, Coleman received 61% of the vote, defeating Republican Darius Mayfiend, who received 36% of the vote.

Last November, Coleman, who is 80 years old and has served six terms in the House of Representatives, announced that she would not run for reelection when her current term ends in January 2027.