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Only 18,000 Votes: The Stunning Primary Victory Raising National Security Questions
In what some are calling a textbook example of organized bloc voting exploiting low turnout in a deep-blue stronghold, Egypt-born Democrat Adam Hamawy has secured the nomination for New Jersey’s 12th Congressional District. The plastic surgeon and U.S. Army veteran defeated 11 other candidates in Tuesday’s Democratic primary with just 27-28% of the vote, roughly 18,000–20,000 ballots in a district of nearly 800,000 residents. Total turnout hovered around 60,000–62,000 votes, a tiny fraction of eligible voters in a state where Democrats already dominate. Hamawy now remains the overwhelming favorite to win the safely Democratic seat in November against Republican Gregg Mele, replacing retiring Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D). But his victory has ignited fierce national security concerns based on his documented 1990s associations with convicted terrorist Omar Abdel-Rahman—the infamous “Blind Sheik” behind the 1993 World Trade Center bombing plot.
The Candidate’s Past: Defense Witness for the Blind Sheik and Volunteer for an Al-Qaeda Front
Court records and investigative reporting show that, as a young medical student, Hamawy:
- Served as a defense witness at Abdel-Rahman’s 1995 federal terrorism trial, contradicting an FBI informant and offering testimony that drew a warm courtroom greeting of “Asalam Alaykum” from the cleric.
- Acted as driver, translator, and companion for the Blind Sheik, including a 13-hour van trip to a 1991 Detroit event critics describe as a jihad conference.
- Volunteered for approximately five weeks with the Benevolence International Foundation (BIF) in Bosnia in 1994—delivering medical aid. BIF was later designated by the U.S. government as an Al-Qaeda financing and support network and shut down after 9/11.
Hamawy has repeatedly defended his actions as a youthful civic duty and insists he condemns violence. He points to his military service (Lt. Colonel in the New Jersey National Guard, Iraq War combat surgeon who helped save Sen. Tammy Duckworth’s life) and humanitarian work, including treating 9/11 responders and volunteering in Gaza, supporters, including Sens. Bernie Sanders and Tammy Duckworth, Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, and progressive groups like Justice Democrats and CAIR Action hail him as a principled fighter for Medicare for All, affordable housing, and redirecting “war spending” away from Israel.
Meanwhile, Hamawy is on record saying he wants to dismantle and defund the military, completely obliterate DHS, and get rid of ICE.
New Jersey Democrat Adam Hamawy — who defended a convicted terrorist who incited the 1993 World Trade Center Bombing — says he wants to take apart and defund the military, abolish ICE, and dismantle DHS. pic.twitter.com/G1cf1CeApH
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) June 3, 2026
Amy Mek of RAIR Foundation, the Investigative Project on Terrorism, and 1993 WTC survivors, call it a disqualifying “guilt by association” that voters ignored. Mek’s viral posts highlighted attendees at Hamawy’s victory party (including Linda Sarsour) and warned of an “enemy within” gaining access to classified briefings. A pro-Palestine super PAC poured nearly $1.6 million into boosting him.
The Numbers Tell the Story: Low Turnout + Highly Motivated Muslim Voting Bloc in a One-Party State
Here’s the reality that must be confronted: New Jersey’s 12th District primary was decided by a tiny, mobilized slice of the electorate.
- Low overall turnout is the norm in Democratic primaries, especially in safe blue seats. With ~6.7 million registered voters statewide (roughly 2.5 million Democrats), the district saw only a small fraction participate, classic “lazy Americans” disengagement that Amy Mek and others have flagged.
- Muslim voters, who Pew Research shows are overwhelmingly Democratic (66% identify as or lean Democrat, far higher than the general population), turned out in force. CAIR and Muslim civic groups ran aggressive get-out-the-vote operations, phone banks, and mosque mobilization. In heavily Democratic districts like NJ-12 (where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans more than 2-to-1), this unified bloc can dominate fragmented fields.
Nationally, Pew data confirms the pattern: Christians remain America’s clear majority (~62% of adults), but Muslim voters are a small yet highly engaged Democratic constituency, especially on foreign policy issues like Gaza, where Hamawy is outspokenly critical of U.S. aid to Israel. In contrast, many Christian voters (particularly evangelicals and Catholics) lean Republican and often sit out low-stakes primaries. New Jersey perfectly illustrates the wider problem in the Northeast.
The state legislature is overwhelmingly Democratic. Republicans hold just 3 of 12 U.S. House seats. Neighboring blue strongholds, New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and others, show the same pattern: minimal Republican representation in Congress or statehouses. One-party rule + low primary turnout = radicals rising on narrow, motivated bases. Hamawy’s win wasn’t a broad mandate. It was a narrow plurality powered by progressive and Arab-American/Muslim organizing in a district with one of the Northeast’s larger Muslim populations (~3-4% statewide, concentrated in key areas). As Mek noted, when mosques and advocacy groups “order turnout,” it happens, while broader America (including Christian families) stays home.
What This Means for Conservatives and Christians
This isn’t just one race. It’s a warning about how demographic shifts, bloc voting, and chronic low engagement in deep-blue states hand power to candidates with troubling histories. Hamawy will almost certainly reach Congress in November, potentially gaining access to sensitive national security briefings despite red flags dating back 30 years.
For Christians, who still form the backbone of the country and overwhelmingly value national security, traditional values, and strong borders, the message is clear: Turnout matters. In safe Republican areas, vote. In blue strongholds, the main challenges and grassroots mobilization are the only way forward. Disengagement hands the field to the other side. Hamawy’s campaign website and endorsers frame him as a “healer” fighting for working families. His critics see something much more dangerous: a national security risk enabled by the very system Democrats control. The November general election will be a formality in NJ-12.
But the real story is what Tuesday’s low-turnout primary reveals about the future of blue-state politics, and why every conservative and Christian voter needs to keep vigilant, informed, and engaged.
Be informed, America. Your vote is your voice, use it before it’s too late.
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