NJ 12th District Democrats Clash Over Congressional Candidate’s Ties to Convicted Terrorist
Why It Matters
With New Jersey’s 12th Congressional District primary set for June 2, a dispute over a candidate’s three-decade-old connection to a convicted terrorist has injected a national security dimension into what is otherwise a contest to fill a reliably Democratic seat. The race is drawing scrutiny well beyond typical primary politics as candidates and political analysts weigh how voters should evaluate associations from the early 1990s.
What Happened
Physician Adam Hamawy, one of 12 Democrats competing in the 12th District primary, is defending his past connection to Omar Abdel Rahman — the so-called “blind sheikh” convicted in 1995 of plotting a bombing campaign targeting the United Nations and other New York City landmarks. Hamawy testified for the defense at Abdel Rahman’s federal trial.
Plainfield Mayor Adrian Mapp, also a candidate in the race, has called Hamawy a “radical extremist” and argued voters deserve a more complete accounting of that association. Mapp contended the ties could pose a national security concern, pointing to Abdel Rahman’s conviction on seditious conspiracy charges and his connection to one of the most serious domestic terrorism plots in modern American history.
Hamawy, a former U.S. Army combat surgeon born in Egypt who immigrated to the United States as a child, has pushed back sharply. He described his contact with Abdel Rahman as minimal — limited to a single carpool in 1991 — and said he testified at the trial out of a sense of civic obligation before walking away. He characterized Mapp’s attacks as both desperate and Islamophobic.
Hamawy noted that after the trial, he continued serving in the military, treated troops in combat in Iraq — including now-Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois — and provided care to victims of the September 11 attacks.
By the Numbers
- 12 Democrats are competing in the June 2 primary for the 12th District seat.
- 1991: The year Hamawy says he first encountered Abdel Rahman.
- 1995: The year Abdel Rahman was convicted of seditious conspiracy.
- 2017: The year Abdel Rahman died while serving his sentence in a North Carolina federal prison.
- 1 Republican, Gregg Mele, is running unopposed in the GOP primary and will face the Democratic nominee in November.
Zoom Out
Abdel Rahman led the radical Islamist group al-Jama’a al-Islamiyaa and built a following through anti-American sermons at mosques in Brooklyn and Jersey City before his arrest. While he was not convicted on charges stemming directly from the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, federal prosecutors identified him as a co-conspirator of those who carried out that attack. He had also previously been tried — and acquitted — in Egypt for his alleged role in inciting the 1981 assassination of President Anwar el-Sadat.
Political analysts note that the attacks against Hamawy have struggled to gain traction in part because the events in question occurred more than 30 years ago. Micah Rasmussen, director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University, observed that voters under 50 have little direct memory of Abdel Rahman. Rasmussen said the more unresolved question is not why Hamawy testified, but why he was drawn to someone who frequently spoke about jihad.
The 12th District is considered a safe Democratic seat, making the June 2 primary effectively the deciding contest for who will succeed retiring Rep. Bonnie Watson-Coleman. The outcome could have implications for the already narrow House majority — which Democrats are working to maintain heading into the next Congress.
What’s Next
Voters in the 12th District will cast their ballots in the Democratic primary on June 2. The winner will advance to face Republican Gregg Mele in the general election. Mapp indicated that other Democratic candidates in the race have been reluctant to press the issue publicly, leaving him as the primary voice of opposition on the matter. Hamawy has said voters are focused on economic affordability and healthcare, not decade-old associations, and has shown no signs of withdrawing from the race.