Jaffer endorses Hamawy in NJ-12

Former Assemblywoman Sadaf Jaffer (D-Montgomery), who served one term in the legislature before retiring in 2023, will support Adam Hamawy in the Democratic primary for the 12th congressional district.

Hamawy, a surgeon and U.S. Army veteran who was among the doctors responsible for saving U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth’s life two decades ago, is one of 17 Democrats running to succeed retiring Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Ewing). Around one-fifth of the voters Hamawy is hoping to represent live in towns that Jaffer once represented in the Assembly.

“As a former mayor, legislator, and parent, I support Dr. Adam Hamawy for Congress because he is the right person, with the right values, to represent this district,” Jaffer said in a statement. “We need brave, morally consistent leaders who prioritize shared humanity and who will work to protect children, whether from abusive ICE raids in our communities, the failures of our healthcare system, or from the ongoing genocide in Gaza.”

Since her departure from the state legislature, Jaffer has become particularly outspoken on the issue of Gaza, arguing that Democrats have an imperative to stop financial and military support for Israel. That’s an issue that Hamawy, who was briefly trapped in Gaza while providing medical aid there in 2024, has similarly emphasized in his first run for office.

Jaffer has also been sharply critical of one of Hamawy’s top opponents in the 12th district, Sue Altman, who ran with the support of some pro-Israel groups during her prior bid for a neighboring congressional district in 2024.