Draft:Abe Hamadeh
Abe Hamadeh | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Abraham Hamadeh 1991 (age 32–33) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Education | Arizona State University, Tempe (BA) University of Arizona (JD) |
| Occupation | Prosecutor |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 2016–present |
| Unit | United States Army Reserve |
| Awards | Meritorious Service Medal |
Abraham Hamadeh (born 1991) is an American politician, former prosecutor, and intelligence officer. He is the Republican nominee for Arizona's 8th congressional district in the 2024 election. He was previously the Republican nominee for Arizona Attorney General in 2022, narrowly losing to Democrat Kris Mayes in one of the closest elections in Arizona history.
Early life and education
[edit]Hamadeh was born in Chicago in 1991, the youngest child to immigrants from Syria and Venezuela.[1] At the time of his birth, his father was an undocumented immigrant. He grew up in a mixed faith household; his father is Muslim and his mother is Druze. In 1994, Hamadeh’s father was accused of being involved with the fire-bombing of the Mikro Kodesh Anshe Tiktin Synagogue in Skokie, Illinois. His name was ultimately cleared.[2]
Hamadeh graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Arts and the University of Arizona College of Law with a Juris Doctor.
Early career
[edit]Hamadeh has served in the U.S. Army Reserve as an intelligence officer since 2016. He was deployed to Saudi Arabia in 2020 after Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for the terrorist attack on Naval Air Station Pensacola in December 2019. He trained members of the Saudi military for 14 months before returning to the U.S. in 2021, receiving a Meritorious Service Medal for his service.[1][3][4]
Political career
[edit]2022 attorney general campaign
[edit]2024 congressional campaign
[edit]Hamadeh announced his campaign for Arizona's 8th congressional district in October 2023, shortly after incumbent representative Debbie Lesko announced her retirement from the seat.[5] Hamadeh's campaign garnered significant support from notable Republican politicians, including former president Donald Trump and former news anchor and political candidate Kari Lake. The Republican primary attracted a field of prominent candidates, including venture capitalist Blake Masters, who lost the 2022 U.S. Senate election against incumbent Democrat Mark Kelly, along with former congressman Trent Franks and state legislators Anthony Kern and Ben Toma.
Polls leading up to the election showed both Hamadeh and Masters with small leads over each other, and the two were seen as the frontrunners, despite Masters massively outspending Hamadeh with his personal funds. The primary campaign was described as "nasty," with the Masters campaign deeming Hamadeh as a "terrorist sympathizer" by negatively highlighting his Muslim heritage. Masters received backlash for utilizing Islamophobic rhetoric and imagery in campaign ads.[6] Hamadeh's campaign responded by stating that he "embodies the same Judeo-Christian values that our nation was built upon."[3]
Two days before the primary election, despite endorsing Hamadeh the year before, Trump published a statement making a dual endorsement for both him and Masters.[7] Hamadeh would go on to win the Republican primary with just under 30% of the vote to Masters's 26%. Due to the district's strong Republican leaning, he is expected to win the November general election against Democrat Greg Whitten.[8]
Political positions
[edit]Israel
[edit]Hamadeh is a strong supporter of Israel, stating that "Jewish people have no bigger ally than me." He has said that his views on Israel were affected by a visit he made to the country while in law school. Hamadeh believed he was better accepted as a Druze in Israel than in neighboring Lebanon, which further cemented his support.[4] While campaigning for Congress, he criticized the nationwide pro-Palestine university demonstrations and said that "there was a direct connection between Marxism and the rise of antisemitism in the US since October 7."[2]
Electoral history
[edit]2022
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Abraham Hamadeh | 265,636 | 33.56% | |
| Republican | Rodney Glassman | 186,863 | 23.60% | |
| Republican | Andrew Gould | 132,253 | 16.71% | |
| Republican | Dawn Grove | 94,670 | 11.96% | |
| Republican | Lacy Cooper | 67,742 | 8.56% | |
| Republican | Tiffany Shedd | 44,453 | 5.61% | |
| Total votes | 791,617 | 100.0% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Kris Mayes | 1,254,613 | 50.00% | +1.74% | |
| Republican | Abraham Hamadeh | 1,254,102 | 49.98% | −1.74% | |
| Libertarian | Samantha Severson (write-in) | 418 | 0.02% | N/A | |
| Total votes | 2,509,133 | 100.0% | |||
Personal life
[edit]Hamadeh identifies as non-denominational. His older brother, Waseem Hamadeh, works in a Phoenix-based real estate firm and has made $1 million contributions to both of his campaigns.[11]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Gillespie, Brandon (June 26, 2024). "Army veteran running for Congress reveals plan to save America 'hijacked by left-wing lunatics'". Fox News. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
- ^ a b Van Winkle, Clint (November 17, 2023). "One of Arizona's most pro-Israel candidates Is Arab-American". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
- ^ a b Kavaler, Tara (June 14, 2024) [June 5, 2024]. "A Nasty House Primary Gets Even Nastier Over Religion". NOTUS. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
- ^ a b Van Winkle, Clint (November 17, 2023). "One of Arizona's most pro-Israel candidates Is Arab-American". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
- ^ "Arizona Rep. Debbie Lesko says she won't seek reelection, Abe Hamadeh to run for her seat". KTVK. October 17, 2023. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
- ^ L'Heureux, TJ (June 7, 2024). "Blake Masters and Abe Hamadeh waging MAGA's dumbest bro fight". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
- ^ Gersony, Laura (July 28, 2024). "Donald Trump praises Blake Masters in rare last-minute dual endorsement for Congress". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
- ^ Gersony, Laura (August 1, 2024). "Abe Hamadeh wins GOP congressional primary, poised to succeed Rep. Debbie Lesko". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
- ^ Arizona Secretary of State (22 August 2022). "State of Arizona Official Canvass – August 2, 2022, Primary Election" (PDF). Retrieved 26 August 2022.
- ^ "2022 General Election Statewide Canvass" (PDF). Arizona Secretary of State. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
- ^ L'Heureux, TJ (February 2, 2024). "Abe Hamadeh's big bro becomes his campaign sugar daddy in House race". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved August 14, 2024.