SOUTH BRUNSWICK - Adam Hamawy, the favorite to replace Bonnie Watson Coleman in Congress, says he wants to hear what CD-12 residents are thinking about.

So, he has embarked on a "listening tour" in the four counties that make up the district - Mercer, Middlesex, Somerset and Union. The events are advertised on social media.

Tuesday night was Middlesex's turn and a small crowd (about 30 at most) gathered in a local American Legion hall.

Turns out Hamawy's campaign had a problem with who was listening.

The event was closed to reporters. (Full Disclosure: I was the only one who showed up.)

Interestingly, when I spoke briefly with Hamawy himself he indicated no problem with my presence.

But a campaign aide said the event was not open to the press. A bit later, I was told I could stay, but not report on the event.

No respectable journalist in the world would agree to that. So I left.

In the great scheme of things, this may not be such a big deal. Still, this is a bad sign for a man who seems destined to be elected to the House this fall. The district leans heavily Democratic.

One reason given was that the idea was for people to express their thoughts to Hamawy.

But this was Legion hall, not a private living room.

To state the obvious, running and serving in Congress means - or should mean - operating in public.

A rookie mistake? Let's see how Hamawy's campaign handles public exposure going forward.