Hamawy may be NJ-12’s best-funded Democrat after nearly $550k 1st quarter

Adam Hamawy has raised nearly $550,000 since launching his bid for the 12th congressional district in late January, his campaign announced today, further establishing the first-time candidate as one of the open district’s leading contenders.

Most of Hamawy’s Democratic primary opponents have not yet announced their own fundraising numbers from the 1st quarter, which ended just yesterday, but Hamawy is likely to be one of the best-funded candidates – if not the best-funded candidate – in the race. Another skilled fundraiser, Sue Altman, announced earlier today that she’d raised over $400,000 thus far.

“We have the momentum in this race,” Hamawy said in a statement. “From our field-leading all-volunteer petition collection, to our endorsements from leading progressive groups like Justice Democrats, and our consistent lead in publicly-announced fundraising, we are in a strong position to win this election. This district is hungry for leadership that will call for healthcare, not bombs, to abolish ICE, and to unrig this economy that is only working for those at the top.”

Hamawy’s campaign said that more than 70% of the contributions they received came from New Jersey donors.

Electing Hamawy, an Army veteran and surgeon, has become a priority for many national progressive and pro-Palestinian organizations seeking to continue retiring Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Ewing)’s legacy. He also has national political connections through Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois), whose life he helped to save after she was wounded in Iraq in 2004.

Hamawy’s big first-quarter haul is a key part of his path to victory in the 12th district, where many other contenders likely start out with much higher name recognition and where it’s extraordinarily expensive to reach voters via TV advertising. Altman was the Democratic nominee for the neighboring 7th district in 2024, making her a known figure across the New York media market, and many of the other contenders for the district have served in local elected office for years.

Those local officials include East Brunswick Mayor Brad Cohen, Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson (D-Trenton), Somerset County Commissioner Shanel Robinson (D-Franklin), and Plainfield Mayor Adrian Mapp, each of whom has party support in their home county.

Only Cohen, however, reported raising more than $100,000 in the final quarter of last year, leveling the playing field for candidates like Hamawy, Altman, and former Energy Department official Jay Vaingankar. There’s also the possibility that heavy spending from outside super PACs will make its mark on the race, much as pro-Israel, pro-cryptocurrency, and pro-AI groups have done in other Democratic primaries around the country.