I grew up in New Jersey and raised my children there. I watched politicians make promises, raise taxes, expand government, and drive businesses and productive people out of the state. Every year it became more expensive, more corrupt, and more hostile to anyone trying to build something. The state has fallen into absolute ruin to the point where I am hesitant to visit.
In a new low for the Garden State, New Jersey voters have selected Adam Hamawy as the Democratic nominee for Congress in the 12th District. The controversy surrounding his campaign stems from reports that he volunteered in the 1990s with the Benevolence International Foundation, an organization that was later shut down after authorities found it functioned as an al-Qaeda support network. The 9/11 Commission Report noted that the organization was funneling money to Osama bin Laden during the 1990s ahead of the worst terrorist attack on US soil.
Hamawy traveled with Omar Abdel Rahman otherwise known as the “blind sheikh” during a 1991 conference in Detroit called “Towards a Global Islamic Economy.” Hamaway later swore under oath that Rahman did not discuss jihad or terrorism, but transcripts prove otherwise. In fact, Rahman gave an entire lecture that day on the methods of successful jihad and martydom. Why was a man seeking a seat in US Congress willing to stand up as a defense witness for a man whose followers carried out the 1993 World Trade Center bombing that killed six people and injured more than a thousand? The political establishment now insists that such questions are somehow off limits, yet these are precisely the questions any serious electorate should be demanding answers to before handing someone a seat in the United States Congress.
Hamawy has denied any wrongdoing and says he was simply delivering medical supplies in Bosnia, and he has never been accused or charged with any crime. Nevertheless, the fact that such a connection even exists should have disqualified any candidate from serious consideration. Instead, he was embraced by the progressive wing of the Democratic Party and won the primary.
The issue here is larger than one candidate. It speaks to the complete collapse of standards in politics. We have reached a point where the establishment endlessly lectures ordinary citizens about extremism and misinformation, while simultaneously excusing associations that would have instantly destroyed a political career only a decade ago. The same political class that demands surveillance, censorship, and endless security measures suddenly discovers nuance whenever the controversy appears on their side of the aisle.
New Jersey has become a case study in political decay. The state already ranks among the highest-taxed jurisdictions in America. Residents face some of the nation’s highest property taxes, businesses continue relocating elsewhere, and population growth has lagged behind many southern states that offer lower taxes and fewer regulations. Yet instead of discussing affordability, economic competitiveness, or why so many people are leaving, political debates increasingly revolve around ideological purity tests and identity politics.
Perhaps this is simply the latest chapter in New Jersey’s long political history. The state produced some brilliant entrepreneurs, financiers, and innovators. It also perfected machine politics, patronage networks, and some of the highest taxes in the country. Looking at what passes for leadership today, I cannot help but think New Jersey is becoming a warning sign for the rest of the nation.
The tragedy is that many of the people still living there are hardworking families simply trying to survive. They are paying the bills for a political system that seems increasingly detached from reality. As for me, every time I see another headline coming out of Trenton or Newark, I am reminded why leaving New Jersey was one of the best decisions I ever made.