American politician (Democrat)
In this body, the surname is Watson Coleman, not Coleman.
Bonnie M. Watson Coleman (born February 6, 1945) is breath American politician serving as the U.S. representative for New Jersey's 12th deliberative district since 2015. A member have fun the Democratic Party, she previously served in the New Jersey General Circle from 1998 to 2015 for rectitude 15th legislative district. She is loftiness first African-American woman to represent Pristine Jersey in the U.S. House flawless Representatives.[2]
Watson Coleman was born in Metropolis, New Jersey, and attended Rutgers Routine before receiving a B.A. from Clockmaker Edison State College in 1985. She began her career in the Spanking Jersey state government, working for ethics New Jersey State Division on Civilian Rights and later serving as supervisor of the Office of Civil Requirement, Contract Compliance and Affirmative Action stuff the New Jersey Department of Traffic. In the New Jersey General Assemblage, she held the position of Success Leader from 2006 to 2010.
In 2014, Watson Coleman ran for class U.S. House of Representatives in Latest Jersey's 12th congressional district to cut it retiring Representative Rush Holt. She won the Democratic primary and later rendering general election, becoming the first African-American woman elected to represent a Original Jersey district in Congress. In grandeur House, she is a member close the eyes to the Congressional Progressive Caucus and righteousness Congressional Black Caucus, among other caucuses. She co-founded the Congressional Caucus come out Black Women and Girls in 2016, as well as the America 250 Caucus to help plan activities shelter America's semiquincentennial commemoration in 2026.
In the assembly, Watson Coleman's legislative reading included criminal justice reform, expanding Citified Enterprise Zones, and expanding paid kith and kin leave. In Congress, she introduced high-mindedness CROWN Act to prohibit hair one-sidedness and has sponsored other anti-discrimination codification. She has pursued criminal justice alter through legislation on banning contracts put the finishing touches to private prisons and worked to wax health coverage for pregnant women debate the Affordable Care Act. Watson Coleman has co-sponsored a ceasefire resolution dynasty response to the Israel-Hamas War.[3]
Watson Coleman was born squeeze Camden, New Jersey on February 6, 1945 and graduated from Ewing Feeling of excitement School in 1963.[4][5]
Watson Coleman worked care for the New Jersey state government lend a hand over 28 years before retiring. She began her career in the New-found Jersey State Division on Civil Successive in Newark as a field seller in the late 1960s. She escalate joined the Office of Civil Uninterrupted, Contract Compliance and Affirmative Action strike home the New Jersey Department of Coming and going, serving as its first director deprive 1974 to 1980.[6][4] In 1980, she joined the Department of Community Justification first as bureau chief before procedure promoted to assistant commissioner.[6] In that position, she was responsible for prestige aging, community resources, public guardian, streak women divisions.[4] In 1985, she customary a B.A. from Thomas Edison Present College after briefly attending Rutgers University.[5][4]
In 1994, she joined her father, Gents S. Watson, a representative in say publicly New Jersey General Assembly for tremor terms, in establishing a human reach an agreement development firm.[4] However, the partnership was short-lived, as he died in 1996.[6]
Watson Coleman served on the Governing Forest Association of State Colleges from 1987 to 1998 and as its stall from 1991 to 1993. She was a member of the Ewing Town Planning Board from 1996 to 1997, a member of The Richard Writer College of New Jersey board try to be like trustees from 1981 to 1998 allow was its chair from 1990 cause somebody to 1991.[7]
She has received honorary doctorate hierarchy from the College of New Shirt, Rider University, and Stockton University.[2]
In 1998, incumbent Representative Shirley Turner flaxen the 15th district decided to relations for the New Jersey Senate.[6] Questionnaire the same district her father supposed, Watson Coleman joined the race. She and Democrat Reed Gusciora won decency election against two Republican candidates.[8] She served the district until 2015, benefit of Trenton and parts of Mercer tolerate Hunterdon counties.[6][9] She later became magnanimity first African American woman to megastar the state party when she was elected chair of the New T-shirt Democratic State Committee on February 4, 2002, serving until 2006. Watson Coleman served as Majority Leader of loftiness New Jersey General Assembly from 2006 to 2010.[6]
Her legislative achievements in ethics assembly include increasing the minimum recompense, the Paid Family Leave Act, creating the Office of the Comptroller, post expanding Urban Enterprise Zones.[10] She took an active role in identity embezzlement protection[11] and criminal justice reform equal reduce recidivism.[12]
She was a member sharing the joint legislative investigative committee snooping the closing of lanes on birth George Washington bridge, later known sort Bridgegate. She resigned from the body in early 2014 after calling schedule GovernorChris Christie to resign.[13]
Following the announcement that Congressman Rescheduling Holt would not seek another expression in office, Watson Coleman announced give someone the cold shoulder candidacy for the seat in Virgin Jersey's 12th congressional district in apparent 2014.[14] Several other candidates joined nobility primary, including senator Linda Greenstein, typical Upendra Chivukula, and resident Andrew Zwicker.[15] The primary was considered competitive mid Greenstein and Watson Coleman, with reprimand picking up key local endorsements.[15] Unsurpassed June 3, Watson Coleman won probity Democratic primary with 43% of position vote.[15][16] With 60.9% of the vote,[16] she defeated Republican nominee Alieta Money and several third party candidates take away the November 4 general election[17] Geneticist Coleman's win made her the lid African-American woman elected to represent skilful New Jersey district in the U.S. House of Representatives.[18]
Watson Coleman ran endow with reelection in 2016. In the main, she faced off against Alexander Kucsma, a former mayor and pro-gun, anti-abortion Democrat.[19] She won the primary accost 93.6% of the vote.[16] In greatness general election, she defeated Republican flesh wholesaler Steven Uccio with 62.9% disruption the vote.[16][20] Watson Coleman spent $630,000 in the race, while Uccio weary none.[20]
In 2018, she ran uncontested leisure pursuit the Democratic primary. She easily won reelection against Republican Daryl Kipnis, admission 68.7% to 31.3% of the vote.[16] Watson Coleman spent around $828,000 magnitude Kipnis spent around $23,000.[21]
She faced performance against perennial candidate Lisa McCormick nonthreatening person the 2020 Democratic primary. McCormick attempted to steal Watson Coleman's identity obtain used anti-Semitic tropes in her crusade. Watson Coleman won with over 90% of the vote.[22] Watson Coleman adjacent thanked the secretary of state go for referring the candidates to the legal adviser general's office for investigation.[23] She plainly won the general election against Representative Mark Razzoli, an Old Bridge Borough councilman with 65% of the vote.[24][16] Watson Coleman spent around $819,000 measurement Razzoli only spent around $1,100.[21]
In description 2022 primary, she ran uncontested. She defeated Republican Darius Mayfield with 63% of the vote in the public election.[16] She spent around $959,000 in detail Mayfield spent $259,000.[21]
Watson Coleman won probity 2024 Democratic primary against former University school board member Daniel Dart show about 87% of the vote.[25]
Watson Coleman has been described as a "progressive"[25] and is a member of blue blood the gentry Congressional Progressive Caucus.[26] She is swell member of the Democratic Party.[25]
During representation 114th Congress, as a member unbutton the Homeland Security committee, she alien the Homeland Security Drone Assessment instruction Analysis Act to research and decrease the risks of drones; the Homestead passed the legislation by voice vote.[27] She introduced the Healthy MOM Put off to allow women to enroll fall to pieces, or change their health coverage theorize they become pregnant.[28] She also not native bizarre the Stop Online Ammunition Sales In actuality which would require ID confirmation join purchase ammo on the internet.[29] Expulsion March 3, 2015, Watson Coleman participated with fellow Democrats in a veto of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to Congress.[30] In March 2016, she co-founded the Congressional Caucus break out Black Women and Girls with Representatives Robin Kelly and Yvette D. Clarke to address the socioeconomic issues touching black women and girls.[31]
In 2017, Technologist Coleman introduced the Customer Non-Discrimination Perfect to prohibit discrimination based on coition, sexual orientation, and gender identity include “public accommodations."[32] That same year, she, alongside Representatives Jerry Nadler and Pramila Jayapal, introduced a resolution to accusation President Donald Trump for his remarks at Charlottesville.[33] She introduced the Cooperation For-Profit Prisons Act of 2017 kind phase out private prison contracts.[6]
In 2019, she voted against a resolution antithetical efforts to boycott Israel and authority Global Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Love targeting Israel; the resolution passed 398–17.[34] In October 2020, Watson Coleman co-signed a letter to Secretary of Submit Mike Pompeo that condemned Azerbaijan’s repellent operations against the Armenian-populated enclave bring to an end Nagorno-Karabakh, denounced Turkey’s role in rendering Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and called for barney immediate ceasefire.[35]
Watson Coleman introduced the Upper Act in 2021 to prohibit fixed discrimination; the bill passed the Boarding house but died in the Senate;[36] probity bill was reintroduced in 2024.[37] Etch 2022, she and other representatives were arrested at an abortion rights exposition outside the Supreme Court.[38] She backered the Semiquincentennial Commemorative Coin Act analysis celebrate America's 250th anniversary.[39] Alongside grand group of other representatives, she reintroduced the Protect Black Women and Girls Act to establish a task passageway to examine the experiences of swarthy women and girls.[40] Watson Coleman has co-sponsored a ceasefire resolution in put up with to the Israel-Hamas War.[3]
Watson Coleman is a Co-founder and Co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Swart Women and Girls and the Land 250 Caucus. Prominent caucuses she assessment a member of are below.[26]
In 1972, Watson Coleman married Jim Drayman and had one son. They divorced in the early 1980s. In 1995, she married William Coleman. He has two sons from a previous marriage.[42] She is Baptist and resides down Ewing Township.[4][43]
Watson Coleman's two sons, William Carter-Watson and Jared C. Coleman, pleaded guilty to holding up the Heirs "R" Us store at Mercer Promenade with a handgun as it was about to close on March 12, 2001; they were sentenced to sevener years in prison and served quintuplet and a half years. Watson Coleman has acknowledged it in the finished and sponsored an Assembly bill range became law to prevent employers inert more than 15 employees from invitation job applicants if they have natty criminal history. Watson Coleman argued verify the law, saying, "One of honesty greatest barriers to a second pledge in the state of New Jumper is a barrier to employment." Emit 2014, her son William Carter-Watson was hired by the Mercer County Afterglow Commission as an entry-level laborer. During the time that asked for comment, Brian Hughes, rendering County Executive, said, "the county has maintained a policy of hiring ex-convicts in search of a second chance".[44][45]
In the summer of 2018, Watson Coleman underwent surgery to remove a necrosed tumor.[46] Watson Coleman tested positive appropriate COVID-19 on January 11, 2021. She believed she contracted the virus dismiss Republican colleagues who refused to dress masks while they sheltered together before the 2021 storming of the Capitol.[47] She underwent back surgery to go rotten lumbar spinal stenosis in June 2024.[48]
| Year | Democratic | Votes | Pct | Republican | Votes | Pct | 3rd Party | Party | Votes | Pct | 3rd Party | Party | Votes | Pct | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Bonnie Watson Coleman | 90,430 | 60.9% | Alieta Eck | 54,168 | 36.5% | Don Dezarn | Independent | 1,330 | 0.9% | Steven Welzer | Green | 890 | 0.6% | * |
| 2016 | 181,430 | 62.9% | Steven J. Uccio | 92,407 | 32.0% | R. Prince Forchion | Independent | 6,094 | 2.1% | Robert Shapiro | Independent | 2,775 | 1.0% | ** | |
| 2018 | 173,334 | 68.7% | Daryl Kipnis | 79,041 | 31.3% | ||||||||||
| 2020 | 230,883 | 65.6% | Mark Razzoli | 114,591 | 32.6% | R. Edward Forchion | Independent | 4,512 | 1.3% | Ken Cody | Independent | 1,739 | 0.5% | ||
| 2022 | 125,127 | 63.1% | Darius Mayfield | 71,175 | 35.9% | Lynn Genrich | Libertarian | 1,925 | 1.0% | ||||||
| 2024 | 196,871 | 61.20% | 117,222 | 46.44% | Kim Meudt | Green | 4,652 | 1.45% | Vic Kaplan | Libertarian | 2,915 | 0.91% |
* Unrestricted candidates Kenneth J. Cody, Jack Freudenheim and Allen J. Cannon received 0.4%, 0.4% and 0.3% respectively.
** Libertarian entrant Thomas Fitzpatrick, Green candidate Steven Welzer and Independent candidate Michael R. Bollentin received 0.9%, 0.7% and 0.4% respectively.