Summary
Current Position: US Representative of NJ District 12 since 2015
Affiliation: Democrat
Former Position: State Delegate from 1998 – 2015
Other Positions: Chair, Subcommittee On Transportation and Maritime Security – Committee on Homeland Security
District: covering portions of Mercer, Somerset, Union, and Middlesex counties, although the district contains the state capital of Trenton as well as the smaller city of Plainfield.
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Bonnie Watson Coleman is the first African-American woman to represent New Jersey in Congress. Her father, John S. Watson, served six terms in the New Jersey legislature.
Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman – A Legacy of Service
OnAir Post: Bonnie Watson Coleman NJ-12
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About
Source: Government page
Coleman’s work in the House centers on her belief that, in the United States of America, there’s a floor below which we should never allow any child, any family, any person to fall. Knowing that millions struggle every day just to make ends meet from the first to the last of the month, her legislative work seeks to bridge the gap for these Americans, making sure that the richest nation in the world doesn’t allow millions to live below the poverty line; doesn’t allow vulnerable groups to suffer the fallout of environmental violations; doesn’t allow profit margins to define the standards or the motivations for incarceration; and doesn’t allow bias to push everyday needs like car insurance out of reach for working families. She’s introduced legislation aimed at solving issues like these, including:
- The Healthy MOM Act, which would allow women to enroll in, or change their health coverage if they become pregnant;
- the End For-Profit Prisons Act, which would prohibit the federal government from contracting with for-profit prison corporations;
- the SAFER Pipelines Act that would reform the gas pipeline approval process overseen by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission;
- the Customer Non-Discrimination Act, which would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prohibit discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity in “public accommodations,” such as schools, recreational facilities and retail stores
- The Pursuing Equity in Mental Health Act, legislation to address the disparities in access, care and study of mental health issues among people of color;
- The Improving Diaper Affordability Act, to make the purchase of diapers tax-free;
- The Prohibiting Auto-Insurance Discrimination (PAID) Act, end the use of income, education levels, and other factors unrelated to driving history and ability in setting car insurance rates;
- The Guaranteed Income Pilot Program Act of 2020, to establish a nationwide pilot program to test the outcomes of a federally funded income support program that keeps more American families from experiencing permanent financial fallout and lasting poverty from a single unexpected crisis.
Personal
Full Name: Bonnie Watson Coleman
Gender: Female
Family: Husband: William; 3 Children: Troy, William, Jared
Birth Date: 02/06/1945
Birth Place: Camden, NJ
Home City: Ewing Township, NJ
Religion: Baptist
Source: Attended, Political Science, Rutgers University BA, Thomas Edison State College, 1985 Representative, United States House of Representatives, New Jersey, District 12, 2014-present Candidate, United States House of Representatives, New Jersey, District 12, 2022 Assembly Member, New Jersey General Assembly, District 15, 1998-2014 Majority Leader, New Jersey General Assembly, 2006-2009 Assistant Commissioner, New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, 1992 Bureau Chief, New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, 1980 Director, New Jersey Department of Transportation, 1974-1980 EWING, NJ OFFICE WASHINGTON, D.C. Email: Government Source: none To learn more, go to the wikipedia section in this post. Source: Open Secrets Congresswoman Watson Coleman is currently a member of the following caucuses: Source: Government page Source: Government page Source: Wikipedia New Jersey’s 12th congressional district is represented by Democrat Bonnie Watson Coleman, who has served in Congress since 2015. The district is known for its research centers and educational institutions such as Princeton University, Rider University, The College of New Jersey, Institute for Advanced Study, Johnson & Johnson and Bristol-Myers Squibb. The district is primarily suburban in character, covering portions of Mercer, Somerset, Union, and Middlesex counties, although the district contains the state capital of Trenton as well as the smaller city of Plainfield. Bonnie M. Watson Coleman (born February 6, 1945) is an American politician. She has served as the U.S. representative for New Jersey’s 12th congressional district since 2015. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Watson Coleman served in the New Jersey General Assembly, from 1998 to 2015 for the 15th legislative district.[2] She is the first African-American woman to represent New Jersey in Congress.[3] Watson Coleman was born in Camden, New Jersey. Her father, John S. Watson, served six terms in the New Jersey legislature. She graduated from Ewing High School.[4] She received a B.A. from Thomas Edison State College in 1985 after briefly attending Rutgers University-Camden. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.[5] Raised Baptist,[6] she resides in Ewing Township.[7] In 1974, Watson Coleman established the first Office of Civil Rights, Contract Compliance and Affirmative Action, in the New Jersey Department of Transportation and remained the director of that office for six years. In 1980, she joined the Department of Community Affairs, where she held a number of positions including assistant commissioner responsible for aging, community resources, public guardian and women divisions. 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 its chair from 1990 to 1991.[2] Watson Coleman served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1998 to 2015 for the 15th Legislative District,[2] the same district her father represented. 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. 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.[8] On June 3, Watson Coleman won the Democratic primary.[9] She defeated Republican nominee Alieta Eck in the November 4 general election[10] with 60.9% of the vote.[11] She resigned her state legislature seat to enter Congress. 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.[12] On March 3, 2015, Watson Coleman participated with fellow Democrats in the boycott of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s speech to Congress.[13] In March 2016, Watson Coleman and Representatives Robin Kelly and Yvette D. Clarke founded the Congressional Caucus on Black Women and Girls.[14] “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.[15] They were inspired by the #SheWoke Committee, a group of seven activists that reached out to lawmakers and staffers to start.[16] 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.[17] 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.[18][19] Watson Coleman has been a strong supporter of programs allowing criminal offenders to reenter society.[24] Her two sons were sentenced to seven years in prison after committing armed robbery against a Kids R Us store in 2001. One of her sons gained employment with a county agency after his release.[25] Watson Coleman also supports a ban of the type of assault rifles her sons used in the robbery. 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. 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.[26] In 1972, Watson Coleman married Jim Carter. They had a son. They divorced in the early 1980s. In 1995, she married William Coleman. He has two sons from a previous marriage.[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”; it was later passed and 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] 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] * Independent candidates Kenneth J. Cody, Jack Freudenheim and Allen J. Cannon received 0.4%, 0.4% and 0.3% respectively. Education
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850 Bear Tavern Road, Suite 201
Ewing, NJ 08628
Phone: (609) 883-0026
Fax: (609) 883-2093
168 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-5801
Fax: (202) 225-6025Contact
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Founded in 2016 to advance issues and legislation important to the welfare of women and girls of African descent.America 250 Caucus — Co-founder and Co-Chair
Founded in 2020 to assist in the planning of congressional activities surrounding America’s semiquincentennial commemoration in 2026.
House Democratic Caucus
Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus — Transgender Equality Task Force
Congressional Progressive Caucus
Congressional Inventions Caucus
Congressional Medicare for All Caucus
Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus
Congressional Fragrance Caucus
Rebuilding America Task Force
Congressional Animal Protection Caucus
Congressional Progressive Caucus Peace and Security Task Force
Congressional Independent Colleges Caucus
House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition
Congressional Diabetes Caucus
Congressional Arts Caucus
Rare Disease Caucus
Congressional Voting Rights Caucus
Congressional Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease CaucusNew Legislation
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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 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%
** 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
External links