Adam Hamawy Becomes New Jersey’s First Muslim Congressman

Samira Yusuf

November 4, 2026

Egyptian-American surgeon beats Republican Gregg Mele, while Rashida Tlaib wins a fifth term in Michigan.

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Adam Hamawy, a Democrat, won New Jersey’s 12th Congressional District seat in the election held on Tuesday, November 3.

The Associated Press (AP) called the race for him. Hamawy took 74.1% of the vote and Republican Gregg Mele took 23.9%. He is the first Muslim and the first Arab-American to represent New Jersey in the US House of Representatives.

Who Is Adam Hamawy?

Hamawy is 57 and was born in Egypt. His family moved to New Jersey when he was an infant. He studied at Rutgers University and its medical school, and later earned an MBA from Rutgers. He went on to open a private plastic surgery practice in Princeton.

Before politics, he spent eight years as a surgeon in the US Army. That included nine months in Baghdad during the Iraq War. He is credited with helping save fellow soldier Tammy Duckworth, now a US senator, after her helicopter was shot down in 2004.

Medical Work in Gaza and Other Countries

Hamawy gained national attention for working as a volunteer trauma surgeon in Gaza. He travelled there in 2024 and 2025 on medical missions run by the Palestinian American Medical Association, in coordination with the World Health Organization (WHO).

His campaign website says he has also volunteered in Syria, Lebanon, Sudan, Jordan, Turkey, Bosnia, Haiti, Belize and Colombia.

His Positions

Hamawy wants US military aid to Israel to end. He also opposes arms sales to countries accused of serious human rights violations. In a May interview with the New Jersey Monitor, he called the US-Israeli war with Iran “illegal and immoral.”

At home, his campaign focused on wider access to healthcare, lower living costs, more funding for public schools and affordable housing. He also backed a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

Taking Over From Bonnie Watson Coleman

Hamawy will replace Democrat Bonnie Watson Coleman, who has held the seat since 2015. Coleman was the first Black woman elected to Congress from New Jersey. She said in November 2025 that she would not run again.

The Arab American Institute puts New Jersey’s Arab-American population at about 179,000. Hamawy will also be the second Egyptian-American in Congress. The first was George Helmy, who was appointed to the US Senate in 2024 after Bob Menendez resigned.

Rashida Tlaib Wins Fifth Term in Michigan

Palestinian-American Democrat Rashida Tlaib won a fifth term in Michigan’s 12th Congressional District. She beat Republican James D. Hooper. The AP and NBC called the race, with Tlaib at 83% and Hooper at 15%.

Tlaib and Ilhan Omar were the first two Muslim women elected to Congress, in 2018. Tlaib is known for speaking up for Palestinian rights and for her criticism of the war on Gaza.