New Jersey — 12th District

Adam Hamawy

Supports Medicare for All and universal single-payer

Hamawy, a combat trauma surgeon and physician, views healthcare as a basic human right rather than a profit engine for insurance companies. He advocates for universal single-payer healthcare under Medicare for All, medical debt cancellation, and empowering Medicare to negotiate prescription drug pricing.

• Pass Medicare for All to create a universal, single-payer healthcare system with no out-of-pocket costs, including vision, dental, and hearing coverage.
• Support the Medical Debt Cancellation Act to eliminate $220 billion in existing medical debt.
• Empower Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices and break up corporate Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs).
• Support legislation to address maternal mortality disparities, particularly among Black women, and codify federal abortion rights.

“I believe healthcare is a basic human right, not a privilege. As a physician who sees firsthand how insurance companies and the rest of our absurd system fail patients and providers alike, the fight for Medicare for All is personal for me.”

“In the richest country the world has ever known, no one should be choosing between rent and medical bills.”

Gregg Mele

Supports market-based healthcare and price transparency

Mele advocates for market-driven healthcare reforms centered on patient choice, doctor-patient relationships, and upfront price transparency rather than federal mandates. He supports strengthening Health Savings Accounts, selling insurance across state lines, and eliminating waste and fraud in Medicare.

• Increase price transparency, allowing patients to compare costs and options upfront.
• Strengthen Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and allow health insurance to be sold across state lines.
• Protect coverage for individuals with pre-existing conditions while reducing regulations that drive up premiums.
• Reform Medicare by eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse to keep the program sustainable for seniors.

“Healthcare should be affordable, accessible, and centered on patients and doctors, not dictated by Washington bureaucrats.”

“Reforms should focus on eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse so these programs remain strong, sustainable, and reliable for everyone who depends on them now and in the future.”

Adam Hamawy

Supports pro-worker economic reforms and corporate regulation

Hamawy argues the federal economy is rigged in favor of corporations and billionaires at the expense of working families. He supports national paid family leave, universal childcare, raising the minimum wage, taxing extreme wealth, and strengthening worker unions.

• Pass a national paid family and medical leave program guaranteeing at least 12 weeks of paid leave.
• Enact universal high-quality childcare and expand the Child Tax Credit to eliminate childhood poverty.
• Pass the PRO Act to protect union organizing and strengthen collective bargaining rights.
• Increase taxes on extreme wealth, raise the minimum wage to a living wage, and strengthen antitrust enforcement to break up corporate monopolies.

“We need to unrig our economy, so that it works for working people, not the billionaires at the top.”

“The United States is the wealthiest country in the history of the world, but tens of millions of Americans are struggling to afford rent, childcare, healthcare, and groceries.”

Gregg Mele

Supports spending cuts, tax reductions, and deregulation

Mele attributes inflation and high cost-of-living burdens to federal overspending and government micromanagement. He advocates for cutting taxes, reducing regulatory red tape, eliminating wasteful federal programs, and expanding domestic energy production to lower utility and transportation costs.

• Oppose bloated federal spending packages to curb inflation.
• Support tax cuts for working families and reduce burdensome taxation on small businesses.
• Expand domestic energy production to reduce fuel, utility, and transportation costs.
• Cut regulatory red tape to encourage small business expansion and job creation.

“In Congress, I will oppose bloated spending packages and unnecessary bureaucratic expansions that fuel inflation and make the cost of living worse.”

“When energy costs come down, so does the price of nearly everything else, including transportation, utilities, and the goods we rely on every day.”

Adam Hamawy

Supports expanding federal funding for public education

Hamawy champions public education investment from early childhood through higher education. He supports universal preschool, federal salary floors for teachers, tuition-free public universities, student debt cancellation, and banning mobile phones in public schools.

• Rebuild the Department of Education and increase federal funding for public schools, prioritizing lower-income districts.
• Establish federal salary floors for teachers and education support staff.
• Implement universal preschool for three- and four-year-olds and federal universal free school meal programs.
• Make public colleges and universities tuition-free, cancel existing student debt, and enact a federal phone ban in schools.

“High-quality public education is an engine of opportunity and social mobility. I know this because I’m a product of our public schools.”

“Our public colleges and universities should offer a world-class education free of charge.”

Gregg Mele

Supports school choice and local curriculum control

Mele advocates for school choice initiatives that allow education funding to follow the student rather than public school bureaucracies. He supports limiting the federal government's role in education, prioritizing core academic subjects, and expanding career and technical training.

• Support school choice options, including charter schools and Education Savings Accounts (ESAs), where funding follows the student.
• Focus federal educational policy on flexible funding and core academics like reading, math, and science rather than political agendas.
• Limit federal micromanagement to allow states and local communities to guide classroom instruction.
• Expand technical education, career apprenticeships, and skills-based training in partnership with local employers.

“Every child is different, and every family should have the freedom to choose the school or learning path that fits their child best, not be forced into a one size fits all system dictated from Washington.”

“In Congress, I will support school choice options that put parents in the driver’s seat, including charter schools, education savings accounts, and policies that let funding follow the student rather than the bureaucracy.”

Adam Hamawy

Supports abolishing ICE and creating citizenship paths

Hamawy takes a strong progressive stance on civil rights and immigration, calling federal enforcement agencies like ICE corrupt beyond reform. He advocates for abolishing ICE, dismantling DHS, creating a pathway to citizenship for undocumented residents, and protecting DACA recipients.

• Abolish ICE and investigate agency leadership and agents through congressional oversight and prosecution.
• Dismantle the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and relocate essential agencies like FEMA.
• Provide an achievable pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, protecting DACA recipients and mixed-status families from deportation.

“Our immigrant neighbors are under attack and federal agencies like ICE are out of control. We need to protect our neighbors and restore civil rights in this country.”

“I will fight to protect DACA recipients, mixed-status families, and other immigrants from deportation as we advocate for a long-term fix to our broken immigration system.”

Gregg Mele

Supports strict border enforcement and ending sanctuary policies

Mele views border security as a vital national priority to curb illegal entries, terrorism, and drug trafficking. He supports completing the southern border wall, enforcing mandatory Voter ID laws, and eliminating sanctuary city policies and state driver's licenses for undocumented immigrants.

• Finish construction of the southern border wall to secure the border.
• End sanctuary city and state policies, as well as state laws granting driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants.
• Enforce strict Voter ID laws to ensure non-citizens cannot vote in elections.
• Enforce federal immigration laws while reforming legal channels for qualified prospective immigrants.

“It was proven that the wall worked, and I will fight to finish it.”

“Allowing sanctuary cities and states, as well as driver licenses for illegal aliens, is also a clear violation of the oath of elected office to uphold the Constitution, and needs to result in immediate removal and a permanent bar from holding elected office again.”

Adam Hamawy

Supports clean energy transitions and Green New Deal initiatives

Hamawy treats climate change as an urgent environmental and public health crisis. He supports a rapid transition away from fossil fuels, heavy public investment in clean energy infrastructure, a Green New Deal for climate resiliency, and holding polluters financially accountable.

• Enact a Green New Deal for climate resiliency, establishing a Civilian Climate Corps and expanding public transportation like NJ Transit.
• Set ambitious deadlines for ending fossil fuel usage across the economy and rejoin international climate agreements like the Paris Accord.
• Incorporate strong labor and environmental protections into international trade agreements.
• Hold fossil fuel corporations financially liable for climate damages through 'polluter pays' legislation.

“To mitigate climate change, we must decarbonize our economy as fast as possible.”

“The climate crisis is a fossil fuel crisis. The fossil fuel industry lied to and deceived the public about climate change and refuses to stop polluting. It is time to make polluters pay for the damages they have caused.”

Gregg Mele

Supports expanding domestic energy and nuclear power

Mele favors expanding domestic energy production to lower prices and drive economic growth. He supports nuclear power under modern safety standards as an effective clean energy option while questioning the hidden environmental costs of other clean energy sources.

• Expand domestic energy production to achieve energy independence and lower utility prices.
• Promote nuclear energy under modern safety measures as the best environmental alternative.
• Expose environmental drawbacks associated with other green/renewable energy alternatives.
• Rely on private-sector market innovation rather than government mandates to address carbon emissions.

“I support President Trump’s efforts to cut taxes for working families, reduce burdensome taxation, and expand American energy production.”

“As to sustainable energy, almost all alternatives have been shown, when pulling back the curtain to see what is involved in their production, to have a similar negative environmental impact as that of oil, with nuclear energy, under modern safety measures, delivering the best results for the environment.”

Adam Hamawy

Supports campaign finance reform and government ethics bans

Hamawy focuses on eliminating corporate influence in government and restoring integrity to public institutions. He refuses corporate PAC money, supports public financing of elections, advocates for a ban on congressional stock trading, and supports Supreme Court ethics reforms and term limits.

• Overturn Citizens United, establish public financing of elections, and mandate full disclosure of dark-money donors.
• Pass a complete ban on stock trading by members of Congress, their spouses, and senior executive officials.
• Enforce an ethics code for Supreme Court justices, impose term limits, and expand the Court.
• Abolish the Electoral College in favor of national popular voting and pass the For the People Act to expand voting access.

“Money from billionaires and corporations floods our elections and influences our elected officials who should be representing our interests.”

“I will fight to pass a total ban on stock trading by members of Congress, their spouses, and senior executive branch officials.”

Gregg Mele

Supports Voter ID and eliminating government cronyism

Mele emphasizes integrity in government through strict election safeguards and eliminating government interference in the free market. He supports mandatory photo Voter ID laws to prevent illegal voting and advocates for ending limited-bidding systems that foster crony capitalism.

• Require photo Voter ID for all voters in federal and state elections.
• Prohibit non-citizens and illegal immigrants from participating in elections.
• Eliminate crony capitalism and limited-bidding systems in government contracting to restore competitive free-market practices.

“Regarding Voter ID laws, of course there is no valid argument against having these laws.”

“It is clear that we have to enable every legal vote to be counted, but we also have to make sure no illegal vote is counted...”

Adam Hamawy

Supports protecting civil rights and ending law enforcement abuse

Hamawy approaches public safety through a civil rights lens, opposing militarized federal law enforcement tactics and racial profiling. He champions defending the right to peaceful protest, press freedoms, and free speech.

• End racial profiling and militarized law enforcement tactics carried out by federal agencies.
• Protect 1st Amendment rights, including peaceful student protests, press freedoms, and the right to boycott.
• Hold federal law enforcement and agency officials accountable through congressional oversight and legal action.

“We are facing an authoritarian crisis that threatens all of our rights and too many Democratic politicians aren’t doing enough to fight back.”

“I will stand against politically motivated attacks on journalists, frivolous lawsuits designed to silence media outlets, book bans in our schools and libraries, and laws that criminalize peaceful protest.”

Gregg Mele

Supports fully funding police and Second Amendment rights

Mele emphasizes strong support for law enforcement and gun owner rights as foundational to public safety. As a local councilman, he opposes efforts to defund police, supports expanded resources for officers, and advocates for nationwide concealed carry reciprocity under the Second Amendment.

• Fully fund law enforcement agencies and strongly oppose defunding or weakening police.
• Provide police officers with the tools, training, and support necessary to maintain community safety.
• Protect Second Amendment rights by reducing state gun control regulations and streamlining permitting processes to a simple NICS check.
• Enact federal concealed carry reciprocity to protect gun owners across state lines.

“In Congress, I will support fully funding law enforcement and I will oppose any effort to defund or weaken the police.”

“At the federal level, I will work tirelessly, as I already have, to eliminate a large portion of the problems by instituting concealed carry and reciprocity, while simultaneously preventing state and local infringements of 2A rights.”

Adam Hamawy

Supports expanding VA capacity and eliminating veteran homelessness

As an Army veteran and former Lt. Colonel, Hamawy strongly opposes privatizing or defunding the Department of Veterans Affairs. He advocates for fully funding toxic exposure care under the PACT Act, expanding mental health resources, and ending veteran homelessness through supportive housing.

• Protect the VA against privatization and expand local facility capacities to reduce wait times.
• Fully fund and implement the PACT Act for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits.
• Expand HUD-VASH housing vouchers and supportive housing to eliminate veteran homelessness.
• Increase VA mental health services and suicide prevention programs.

“I will fight every attempt to privatize, defund, or hollow out the Department of Veterans Affairs, and push to expand its capacity...”

“It is a moral failure that any veteran in this country is sleeping on the street.”

Gregg Mele

Supports expanding veteran healthcare choices and tax exemptions

Mele believes veterans deserve strong support through expanded medical choices and targeted financial relief. He supports eliminating state income taxes on military pensions, allowing VA benefits to be used at any hospital, and establishing employment preferences for veterans.

• Eliminate state income taxes on veteran pensions.
• Allow VA health benefits to be accepted at all public and private hospitals.
• Establish hiring and employment preferences for veterans.
• Conduct regular personal visits to veterans' hospitals to monitor care standards.

“We need our State to be a model of treating veterans right, since they make sacrifices for our country like few others.”

“I will seek the elimination of state income taxes on veteran pensions, acceptance of VA health benefits at all hospitals, and employment preferences for veterans.”

Adam Hamawy

Supports federal abortion rights and LGBTQ+ protections

Hamawy views bodily autonomy and civil rights as key legislative priorities. He advocates for codifying federal abortion rights, passing the Transgender Bill of Rights, protecting voting access, and enacting reparations to close the racial wealth gap.

• Codify the right to abortion in federal law to protect reproductive freedom nationwide.
• Pass the Transgender Bill of Rights, No Place for LGBTQ+ Hate Act, and Transgender Health Care Access Act.
• Support reparations and wealth-building initiatives aimed at closing the racial wealth gap.
• Protect religious minorities against discrimination and aggressively enforce voting rights laws.

“The draconian policies enacted after the overturning of Roe v Wade is a stain on our country and I support codifying the right to abortion in federal law.”

“In Congress, I will oppose any effort that undermines the dignity, safety, and rights of LGBTQ+ Americans, and I will support legislation that affirms and protects them.”

Gregg Mele

Supports parental rights and personal choice over mandates

Mele frames civil rights through personal liberty, parental authority, and opposition to government mandates. He emphasizes that medical and educational decisions belong directly to patients and parents rather than government institutions.

• Ensure medical decisions for minors remain strictly between parents, patients, and doctors without federal or state mandates.
• Protect parental rights in selecting educational curricula and healthcare options for their children.

“Medical decisions should be between a patient and a doctor, and, in the case of a minor, their parents.”

“Personal and medical freedom requires all available options... most importantly, the choices/options must belong to the patient and parents.”

Adam Hamawy

Supports cutting military spending and ending foreign military aid

Drawing from his experience as an Army combat surgeon in Iraq and humanitarian medical volunteer in Gaza, Hamawy advocates for restraint, anti-imperialism, and diplomacy. He supports cutting the defense budget, withholding military aid from human rights violators, and establishing a cabinet-level Department of Peacebuilding.

• Significantly cut the trillion-dollar Pentagon budget and reallocate federal spending toward domestic needs like healthcare.
• Reclaim Congressional war authority and enforce the Leahy Laws to halt arms sales and military aid to countries committing human rights violations, including Israel.
• Support equal rights for Palestinians, an end to Israeli apartheid, and the international right of return.
• Pass the Department of Peacebuilding Act to establish a cabinet-level agency dedicated to global conflict prevention.

“Healthcare, Not Bombs - We have our priorities wrong as a country. We should be spending our resources on achieving universal healthcare through Medicare for All, not bombs and endless wars.”

“What I witnessed was a genocide, paid for with American tax dollars and propped up by our foreign policy.”