Bonnie Watson Coleman

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In this article, the surname is Watson Coleman, not Coleman.
Bonnie Watson Coleman
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New Jersey's 12th district
Assumed office
January 3, 2015
Preceded byRush Holt Jr.
Majority Leader of the
New Jersey General Assembly
In office
January 12, 2006 – January 12, 2010
Preceded byJoseph J. Roberts
Succeeded byJoseph Cryan
Member of the New Jersey General Assembly
from the 15th district
In office
January 13, 1998 – January 3, 2015
Serving with Reed Gusciora
Preceded byShirley Turner
Succeeded byElizabeth Maher Muoio
Personal details
Born
Bonnie M. Watson[1]

(1945-02-06) February 6, 1945 (age 79)
Camden, New Jersey, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
William Coleman
​
(m. 1995)​
Children3
EducationRutgers University-Camden
Thomas Edison State University (BA)
WebsiteHouse website

Bonnie M. Watson Coleman (born February 5, 1945) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for New Jersey's 12th congressional district since 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1998 to 2015 for the 15th legislative district. She is the first African-American woman to represent New Jersey in the U.S. House of Representatives.[2]

Watson Coleman was born in Camden, New Jersey, and attended Rutgers University before receiving a B.A. from Thomas Edison State College in 1985. She began her career in the New Jersey state government, working for the New Jersey State Division on Civil Rights and later serving as director of the Office of Civil Rights, Contract Compliance and Affirmative Action in the New Jersey Department of Transportation. In the New Jersey General Assembly, she held the position of Majority Leader from 2006 to 2010.

In 2014, Watson Coleman ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in New Jersey's 12th congressional district to succeed retiring Representative Rush Holt. She won the Democratic primary and later the general election, becoming the first African-American woman elected to represent a New Jersey district in Congress. In the House, she is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and the Congressional Black Caucus, among other caucuses. She co-founded the Congressional Caucus on Black Women and Girls in 2016, as well as the America 250 Caucus to help plan activities for America's semiquincentennial commemoration in 2026.

Early life and career

Watson Coleman was born in Camden, New Jersey on February 6, 1945 and graduated from Ewing High School in 1963.[3][4]

Watson Coleman worked for the New Jersey state government for over 28 years before retiring. She began her career in the New Jersey State Division on Civil Rights in Newark as a field representative in the late 1960s. She then joined the Office of Civil Rights, Contract Compliance and Affirmative Action in the New Jersey Department of Transportation, serving as its first director from 1974 to 1980.[5][3] In 1980, she joined the Department of Community Affairs first as bureau chief before being promoted to assistant commissioner.[5] In this position, she was responsible for the aging, community resources, public guardian, and women divisions.[3] In 1985, she received a B.A. from Thomas Edison State College after briefly attending Rutgers University.[4][3]

In 1994, she joined her father, John S. Watson, a representative in the New Jersey General Assembly for six terms, in establishing a human resources development firm.[3] However, the partnership was short-lived as he passed away in 1996.[5]

Watson Coleman served on the Governing Boards Association of State Colleges from 1987 to 1998 and as its chair from 1991 to 1993. She was a member of the Ewing Township Planning Board from 1996 to 1997, a member of The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey board of trustees from 1981 to 1998 and was its chair from 1990 to 1991.[6]

General assembly

The New Jersey General Assemby Chamber where Watson Coleman served in from 1998 to 2015.

In 1998, incumbent Representative Shirley Turner of the 15th district decided to run for the New Jersey Senate.[5] Being the same district her father represented, Watson Coleman joined the race. Her and Democrat Reed Gusciora won the election against two Republican candidates.[7] She served the district until 2015. She became the first African American woman to lead the state party when she was elected chair of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee on February 4, 2002. She served until 2006. Watson Coleman served as Majority Leader of the New Jersey General Assembly from 2006 to 2010.[5]

Her legislative achievements in the assembly include increasing the minimum wage, the Paid Family Leave Act, creating the Office of the Comptroller, and expanding Urban Enterprise Zones.[8] She was a member of the joint legislative investigative committee probing the closing of lanes on the George Washington bridge, otherwise known as the Bridgegate scandal. She resigned from the committee in early 2014 after calling for Governor Chris Christie to resign.[9]

U.S. House of Representatives

2014 election

Following the announcement that Congressman Rush Holt would not seek another term in office, Watson Coleman announced her candidacy for the seat in New Jersey's 12th congressional district in early 2014.[10] Several other candidates joined the primary, including senator Linda Greenstein, assemblyman Upendra Chivukula, and resident Andrew Zwicker.[11] The primary was considered competitive between Greenstein and Watson Coleman, with each picking up key local endorsements.[11]

On June 3, Watson Coleman won the Democratic primary with 43% of the vote.[11][12] With 60.9% of the vote,[12] she defeated Republican nominee Alieta Eck and several third party candidates in the November 4 general election[13] Watson Coleman's win made her the first African-American woman elected to represent a New Jersey district in the U.S. House of Representatives.[14]

Tenure

Watson Coleman speaking in 2017 to the New Jersey National Guard

On March 3, 2015, Watson Coleman participated with fellow Democrats in the boycott of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to Congress.[15]

In March 2016, Watson Coleman and Representatives Robin Kelly and Yvette D. Clarke founded the Congressional Caucus on Black Women and Girls.[16] "Black women and girls are disproportionately affected by myriad socioeconomic issues that diminish their quality of life and threaten the well-being of their families and communities. The Congressional Caucus on Black Women and Girls gives black women a seat at the table for the crucial discussion on the policies that impact them while also providing a framework for creating opportunities and eliminating barriers to success for black women", they announced in a press release.[17] They were inspired by the #SheWoke Committee, a group of seven activists that reached out to lawmakers and staffers to start.[18]

Watson Coleman co-sponsored the International Megan's Law, to combat child exploitation and other sex crimes abroad. President Barack Obama signed the bill into law in February 2016.[19]

In July 2019, Watson Coleman voted against H. Res. 246 - 116th Congress, a House resolution introduced by Representative Brad Schneider opposing efforts to boycott the State of Israel and the Global Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement targeting Israel. The resolution passed 398–17.[20][21]

Committee assignments

Caucus memberships

Watson Coleman is a Co-founder and Co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Black Women and Girls and the America 250 Caucus. Prominent caucuses she is a member of are below.[22]

Political positions

Coleman speaking at the 2017 Women's March in Trenton, New Jersey

Watson Coleman has been a strong supporter of programs allowing criminal offenders to reenter society.[23] As a New Jersey Assemblywoman, she sponsored a bill that bars companies with more than 15 employees from conducting criminal background checks on candidates during the interview process.[24]

In October 2020, Watson Coleman co-signed a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that condemned Azerbaijan’s offensive operations against the Armenian-populated enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, denounced Turkey’s role in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and called for an immediate ceasefire.[25]

Personal life

In 1972, Watson Coleman married Jim Carter and had one son. They divorced in the early 1980s. In 1995, she married William Coleman. He has two sons from a previous marriage.[26] She is Baptist and resides in Ewing Township.[3][27]

Watson Coleman's two sons, William Carter-Watson and Jared C. Coleman, pleaded guilty to holding up the Kids "R" Us store at Mercer Mall with a handgun as it was about to close on March 12, 2001; they were sentenced to seven years in prison and served five and a half years. Watson Coleman has acknowledged it in the past and introduced legislation "that bars companies with more than 15 employees to conduct criminal background checks on candidates during the interview process". She argued for the law, saying, "One of the greatest barriers to a second chance in the state of New Jersey is a barrier to employment." The bill was later signed into law. In 2014, her son William Carter-Watson was hired by the Mercer County Park Commission as an entry-level laborer. When asked for comment, Brian Hughes, the County Executive, said, "the county has maintained a policy of hiring ex-convicts in search of a second chance".[28][29][30]

She received honorary doctorate degrees from the College of New Jersey, Rider University, and Stockton University.[2]

Health

In the summer of 2018, Watson Coleman underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumor.[31] Watson Coleman tested positive for COVID-19 on January 11, 2021. She believed she contracted the virus from Republican colleagues who refused to wear masks while they sheltered together during the 2021 storming of the Capitol.[32][33] She underwent back surgery to treat lumbar spinal stenosis in June 2024.[34]

Electoral history

New Jersey's 12th congressional district: Results 2014–2022
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. 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%

* Independent candidates Kenneth J. Cody, Jack Freudenheim and Allen J. Cannon received 0.4%, 0.4% and 0.3% respectively.
** Libertarian candidate Thomas Fitzpatrick, Green candidate Steven Welzer and Independent candidate Michael R. Bollentin received 0.9%, 0.7% and 0.4% respectively.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Lee, et al. v. Trump, et al". Cohen Milstein. April 9, 2021. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman". America250. U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Manual of the Legislature of New Jersey: 2004 Edition. Lawyers Diary and Manual, LLC. 1900. p. 266. ISBN 978-1-57741-187-1.
  4. ^ a b United States Congress. "Bonnie Watson Coleman (id: W000822)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Bonnie Watson Coleman". New Jersey Equal Justice Library and Archive.
  6. ^ "Bonnie Watson Coleman -". Archives of Women's Political Communication. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  7. ^ "General Election Returns for the Office of State Assembly" (PDF). New Jersey Secretary of State. November 4, 1997.
  8. ^ Bichao, Sergio (June 8, 2014). "A Woman in the House". The Central New Jersey Home News. pp. A1–A2.
  9. ^ Serrano, Ken. "Watson Coleman quits investigative committee after criticism of her call for Christie to resign". Fort Collins Coloradoan. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  10. ^ Davis, Mike (February 21, 2014). "Mercer County Democrats rally support for Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman's campaign for Congress". NJ.com. Times of Trenton. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  11. ^ a b c Davis, Mike (June 4, 2014). "Watson Coleman wins Democratic primary for 12th congressional district". NJ.com. Retrieved June 4, 2014.
  12. ^ a b "Bonnie Watson Coleman". Ballotpedia. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  13. ^ Davis, Mike (November 5, 2014). "With Bonnie Watson Coleman's 12th District win, local Democrats will pick Assembly successor". NJ.com. Times of Trenton. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
  14. ^ D'Amico, Diane. "Civil rights struggle still alive in US, Watson Coleman tells Stockton symposium", The Press of Atlantic City, October 6, 2015. Accessed June 4, 2017. "The first black woman to represent New Jersey in Congress, Watson Coleman said Congress has not addressed the country’s economic divide and does not even seem willing to step up to the plate."
  15. ^ "WHIP LIST: 56 Democrats to skip Netanyahu speech to Congress". The Hill. March 3, 2015. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  16. ^ Helm, Angela (March 26, 2016). "3 Black Congresswomen Create 1st Caucus on Black Women and Girls". The Root.
  17. ^ "Reps. Watson Coleman, Kelly, Clarke, Announce Congressional Caucus on Black Women and Girls". U.S. Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman. watsoncoleman.house.gov. Archived from the original on January 12, 2017. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  18. ^ Grimaldi, Christine (April 29, 2016). "#SheWoke Fuels First Congressional Caucus on Black Women and Girls Event". rewire.news. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  19. ^ "Congress.gov". Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  20. ^ Schneider, Bradley Scott (July 23, 2019). "H.Res.246 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): Opposing efforts to delegitimize the State of Israel and the Global Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement targeting Israel". www.congress.gov. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  21. ^ Foran, Clare. "Who voted 'no' on the House resolution opposing Israel boycott movement", CNN, July 23, 2019. Accessed July 24, 2019.
  22. ^ "Caucus Membership". watsoncoleman.house.gov. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  23. ^ Guest, Star-Ledger (September 9, 2018). "N.J. Congresswoman: 10 things we need to do to fix U.S. prison problem | Opinion". nj.com. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  24. ^ "N.J. Assembly panel advances bill to ban employee background checks until job offer". NJ.com. December 16, 2013.
  25. ^ "Senate and House Leaders to Secretary of State Pompeo: Cut Military Aid to Azerbaijan; Sanction Turkey for Ongoing Attacks Against Armenia and Artsakh". The Armenian Weekly. October 2, 2020.
  26. ^ Ginsberg, Wendy (May 5, 2002). "IN PERSON; The Family Business". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  27. ^ Fox, Joey (June 5, 2024). "Watson Coleman easily wins renomination against former Princeton school board member". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  28. ^ McEvoy, James (November 12, 2014). "Mercer County hires Bonnie Watson Coleman's son to entry-level parks position". NJ.com. Retrieved January 19, 2017.
  29. ^ Sulaiman, Abdur-Rahman (June 29, 2016). "N.J. gun rights leader questions Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman about her sons' gun crimes". The Trentonian. MediaNews Group, Inc. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  30. ^ Wilson, Tony; Frost, Soctt (April 10, 2001). "Watson Coleman's sons plead guilty in robbery". The Trentonian. MediaNews Group, Inc. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  31. ^ NJ.com, Brent Johnson | NJ Advance Media for (November 2, 2018). "N.J. congresswoman recovering after cancerous tumor was removed". nj. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  32. ^ Jones, Zoe (January 11, 2021). "Congresswoman tests positive for COVID-19 after attack on Capitol". cbsnews.com. CBS News. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  33. ^ Itkowitz, ColbyScott (January 11, 2021). "75-year-old congresswoman tests positive for coronavirus after sheltering in place with unmasked lawmakers". www.washingtonpost.com. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  34. ^ "Watson Coleman To Undergo Surgery In Mercer, To Miss Some Votes In D.C." Princeton, NJ Patch. June 6, 2024. Retrieved June 17, 2024.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bonnie Watson Coleman.
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New Jersey General Assembly
Preceded by Chair of the New Jersey General Assembly Appropriations Committee
2002–2006 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Majority Leader of the New Jersey General Assembly
2006–2010 		Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Chair of the New Jersey Democratic Party
2002–2006 		Succeeded by
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New Jersey's 12th congressional district
2015–present 		Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by United States representatives by seniority
178th 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://mdwiki.org/wiki/Bonnie_Watson_Coleman"