Us congresswoman bonnie watson coleman

American politician (Democrat)

In that article, the surname is Watson Coleman, not Coleman.

Bonnie M. Watson Coleman (born Feb 6, 1945) is an Land politician serving as the U.S. representative for New Jersey's Twelfth congressional district since 2015.

Well-organized member of the Democratic Aggregation, she previously served in illustriousness New Jersey General Assembly detach from 1998 to 2015 for greatness 15th legislative district. She evolution the first African-American woman strengthen represent New Jersey in honourableness U.S. House of Representatives.^[2]

Watson Coleman was born in Camden, Fresh Jersey, and attended Rutgers Medical centre before receiving a B.A.

make the first move Thomas Edison State College cloudless 1985. She began her vitality in the New Jersey homeland government, working for the Additional Jersey State Division on Laical Rights and later serving style director of the Office type Civil Rights, Contract Compliance put forward Affirmative Action in the Latest Jersey Department of Transportation.

Worship the New Jersey General Circle, she held the position enjoy yourself Majority Leader from 2006 give somebody the job of 2010.

In 2014, Watson Coleman ran for the U.S. Residence of Representatives in New Jersey's 12th congressional district to lob retiring Representative Rush Holt. She won the Democratic primary impressive later the general election, obsequious the first African-American woman first-class to represent a New Milker district in Congress.

In picture House, she is a adherent of the Congressional Progressive Faction and the Congressional Black Bloc, among other caucuses. She co-founded the Congressional Caucus on Swarthy Women and Girls in 2016, as well as the Usa 250 Caucus to help road activities for America's semiquincentennial memorialisation in 2026.

In the meeting, Watson Coleman's legislative work facade criminal justice reform, expanding Town Enterprise Zones, and expanding receive family leave. In Congress, she introduced the CROWN Act join forces with prohibit hair discrimination and has sponsored other anti-discrimination legislation. She has pursued criminal justice alter through legislation on banning bargain to private prisons and pretentious to expand health coverage take to mean pregnant women with the Cheap Care Act.

Watson Coleman has co-sponsored a ceasefire resolution put it to somebody response to the Israel-Hamas War.^[3]

Early life and career

Watson Coleman was born in Camden, New Pullover on February 6, 1945 topmost graduated from Ewing High Academy in 1963.^[4][5]

Watson Coleman worked house the New Jersey state control for over 28 years once retiring.

She began her activity in the New Jersey Board Division on Civil Rights be pleased about Newark as a field emblematic in the late 1960s. She then joined the Office short vacation Civil Rights, Contract Compliance other Affirmative Action in the Different Jersey Department of Transportation, helping as its first director unapproachable 1974 to 1980.^[6][4] In 1980, she joined the Department contempt Community Affairs first as office chief before being promoted collision assistant commissioner.^[6] In this peep, she was responsible for excellence aging, community resources, public saint, and women divisions.^[4] In 1985, she received a B.A.

steer clear of Thomas Edison State College subsequently briefly attending Rutgers University.^[5][4]

In 1994, she joined her father, Can S. Watson, a representative quandary the New Jersey General Grouping for six terms, in custom a human resources development firm.^[4] However, the partnership was prepare, as he died in 1996.^[6]

Watson Coleman served on the Greatest Boards Association of State Colleges from 1987 to 1998 be proof against as its chair from 1991 to 1993.

She was cool member of the Ewing Rural community Planning Board from 1996 unobtrusively 1997, a member of Nobility Richard Stockton College of Different Jersey board of trustees elude 1981 to 1998 and was its chair from 1990 get as far as 1991.^[7]

She has received honorary degree degrees from the College observe New Jersey, Rider University, keep from Stockton University.^[2]

General assembly

In 1998, necessary Representative Shirley Turner of nobility 15th district decided to lope for the New Jersey Senate.^[6] Being the same district repudiate father represented, Watson Coleman husbandly the race.

She and Politician Reed Gusciora won the plebiscite against two Republican candidates.^[8] She served the district until 2015, representing Trenton and parts faultless Mercer and Hunterdon counties.^[6][9] She later became the first Individual American woman to lead influence state party when she was elected chair of the Another Jersey Democratic State Committee honor February 4, 2002, serving inconclusive 2006.

Watson Coleman served importation Majority Leader of the New-found Jersey General Assembly from 2006 to 2010.^[6]

Her legislative achievements sham the assembly include increasing description minimum wage, the Paid Coat Leave Act, creating the Command centre of the Comptroller, and enlargeable Urban Enterprise Zones.^[10] She took an active role in model theft protection^[11] and criminal excellence reform to reduce recidivism.^[12]

She was a member of the lode legislative investigative committee probing influence closing of lanes on illustriousness George Washington bridge, later systematic as Bridgegate.

She resigned take from the committee in early 2014 after calling for GovernorChris Writer to resign.^[13]

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

Following the announcement that Congressman Leave Holt would not seek other term in office, Watson Coleman announced her candidacy for grandeur seat in New Jersey's Ordinal congressional district in early 2014.^[14] Several other candidates joined probity primary, including senator Linda Greenstein, assemblyman Upendra Chivukula, and dwelling Andrew Zwicker.^[15] The primary was considered competitive between Greenstein queue Watson Coleman, with each quote up key local endorsements.^[15] Weekend away June 3, Watson Coleman won the Democratic primary with 43% of the vote.^[15][16] With 60.9% of the vote,^[16] she thwarted Republican nominee Alieta Eck spell several third party candidates prize open the November 4 general election^[17] Watson Coleman's win made discard the first African-American woman first-class to represent a New Sweater district in the U.S.

Back-to-back of Representatives.^[18]

Watson Coleman ran protect reelection in 2016. In honourableness primary, she faced off refuse to comply Alexander Kucsma, a former politician and pro-gun, anti-abortion Democrat.^[19] She won the primary with 93.6% of the vote.^[16] In depiction general election, she defeated Populist meat wholesaler Steven Uccio reap 62.9% of the vote.^[16][20] Engineer Coleman spent $630,000 in probity race, while Uccio spent none.^[20]

In 2018, she ran uncontested engage the Democratic primary.

She naturally won reelection against Republican Daryl Kipnis, receiving 68.7% to 31.3% of the vote.^[16] Watson Coleman spent around $828,000 while Kipnis spent around $23,000.^[21]

She faced fire against perennial candidate Lisa Artificer in the 2020 Democratic influential. McCormick attempted to steal Psychologist Coleman's identity and used anti-Semitic tropes in her campaign.

Engineer Coleman won with over 90% of the vote.^[22] Watson Coleman later thanked the secretary short vacation state for referring the greensward to the attorney general's control centre for investigation.^[23] She easily won the general election against Populist Mark Razzoli, an Old Bond Township councilman with 65% make stronger the vote.^[24][16] Watson Coleman weary around $819,000 while Razzoli solitary spent around $1,100.^[21]

In the 2022 primary, she ran uncontested.

She defeated Republican Darius Mayfield pertain to 63% of the vote consign the general election.^[16] She prostrate around $959,000 while Mayfield weary $259,000.^[21]

Watson Coleman won the 2024 Democratic primary against former University school board member Daniel Wipe barrel with about 87% of prestige vote.^[25]

Tenure

Watson Coleman has been asserted as a "progressive"^[25] and legal action a member of the Deliberative Progressive Caucus.^[26] She is put in order member of the Democratic Party.^[25]

During the 114th Congress, as spruce member of the Homeland Immunity committee, she introduced the Kingdom Security Drone Assessment and Study Act to research and lessen the risks of drones; prestige House passed the legislation mass voice vote.^[27] She introduced prestige Healthy MOM Act to accept women to enroll in, alliance change their health coverage allowing they become pregnant.^[28] She further introduced the Stop Online Weaponry Sales Act which would wish ID confirmation to purchase weaponry on the internet.^[29] On Amble 3, 2015, Watson Coleman participated with fellow Democrats in spick boycott of Israeli Prime Priest Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to Congress.^[30] In March 2016, she co-founded the Congressional Caucus on Jet Women and Girls with Representatives Robin Kelly and Yvette Clarke to address the socioeconomic issues affecting black women stand for girls.^[31]

In 2017, Watson Coleman naturalized the Customer Non-Discrimination Act check prohibit discrimination based on sexual intercourse, sexual orientation, and gender indistinguishability in “public accommodations."^[32] That by a long way year, she, alongside Representatives Jerry Nadler and Pramila Jayapal, naturalized a resolution to censure Pilot Donald Trump for his remarks at Charlottesville.^[33] She introduced probity End For-Profit Prisons Act love 2017 to phase out covert prison contracts.^[6]

In 2019, she ideal against a resolution opposing efforts to boycott Israel and justness Global Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement targeting Israel; the fixity of purpose passed 398–17.^[34] In October 2020, Watson Coleman co-signed a symbol to Secretary of State Microphone Pompeo that condemned Azerbaijan’s robbery operations against the Armenian-populated enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, denounced Turkey’s segregate in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, status called for an immediate ceasefire.^[35]

Watson Coleman introduced the CROWN Misuse in 2021 to prohibit mane discrimination; the bill passed rendering House but died in position Senate;^[36] the bill was reintroduced in 2024.^[37] In 2022, she and other representatives were at an abortion rights recuperation outside the Supreme Court.^[38] She sponsored the Semiquincentennial Commemorative Money Act to celebrate America's 250th anniversary.^[39] Alongside a group honor other representatives, she reintroduced interpretation Protect Black Women and Girls Act to establish a twist force to examine the life story of black women and girls.^[40] Watson Coleman has co-sponsored neat ceasefire resolution in response brave the Israel-Hamas War.^[3]

Committee assignments

Caucus memberships

Watson Coleman is a Co-founder station Co-chair of the Congressional Confederacy on Black Women and Girls and the America 250 Contingent.

Prominent caucuses she is efficient member of are below.^[26]

Personal life

In 1972, Watson Coleman married Jim Carter and had one teenager. They divorced in the absolutely 1980s. In 1995, she marital William Coleman. He has mirror image sons from a previous marriage.^[42] She is Baptist and resides in Ewing Township.^[4][43]

Watson Coleman's duo sons, William Carter-Watson and Jared C.

Coleman, pleaded guilty persevere holding up the Kids "R" Us store at Mercer Esplanade with a handgun as do business was about to close receive March 12, 2001; they were sentenced to seven years fashionable prison and served five tell off a half years. Watson Coleman has acknowledged it in nobility past and sponsored an Group bill that became law resign yourself to prevent employers with more better 15 employees from asking not wasteful applicants if they have fine criminal history.

Watson Coleman argued for the law, saying, "One of the greatest barriers choose a second chance in rectitude state of New Jersey not bad a barrier to employment." Rafter 2014, her son William Carter-Watson was hired by the Manufacturer County Park Commission as include entry-level laborer. When asked guard comment, Brian Hughes, the District Executive, said, "the county has maintained a policy of stationing ex-convicts in search of clever second chance".^[44][45]

Health

In the summer appreciated 2018, Watson Coleman underwent treatment to remove a cancerous tumor.^[46] Watson Coleman tested positive purport COVID-19 on January 11, 2021.

She believed she contracted influence virus from Republican colleagues who refused to wear masks linctus they sheltered together during class 2021 storming of the Capitol.^[47] She underwent back surgery wrest treat lumbar spinal stenosis unveil June 2024.^[48]

Electoral history

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 Number. Uccio	92,407	32.0%	R. Edward 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%

* Independent candidates Kenneth Count.

Cody, Jack Freudenheim and Filmmaker J. Cannon received 0.4%, 0.4% and 0.3% respectively.
** Libertarian applicant Thomas Fitzpatrick, Green candidate Steven Welzer and Independent candidate Archangel R. Bollentin received 0.9%, 0.7% and 0.4% respectively.

See also

References

External links