Adam Hamawy has raised more than $1 million as he runs for New Jersey’s 12th congressional district, his campaign announced this morning, giving him a tremendous resource advantage over most of his foes in the June 2 Democratic primary.
Hamawy, a plastic surgeon and U.S. Army veteran, launched his campaign for retiring Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Ewing)’s seat in January of this year. Despite never having run for office before, he quickly tapped into a nationwide network of progressive donors, particularly in the Muslim and Arab American communities (he would be New Jersey’s first Muslim congressman if he wins).
As of the end of the 1st quarter in March, Hamawy had raised $547,000, the most of anyone in the Democratic field. His next-closest competitors were East Brunswick Mayor Brad Cohen and former Working Families Party state director Sue Altman, both of whom had raised a little over $400,000.
The pre-primary period – the last reporting period before the election – will end tonight, and reports will be due on May 21, giving journalists and voters one more holistic look at how much money 12th district candidates are raising and where they’re raising it from.
Equally important to Hamawy’s path to victory, though, is a pro-Palestine super PAC, American Priorities, that’s spent $1 million on ads boosting his campaign and plans to spend a million more. According to Hamawy’s internal polling, that spending has made him the primary’s frontrunner after he previously lagged behind in the single digits.
Hamawy is also spending some campaign money on his own ads, including a new ad today that calls out “billionaires and corporations [that] control our politicians while Trump enriches himself.”