Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Ewing), the first Black woman elected to Congress from New Jersey and a leading light for New Jersey progressives, announced today that she will not seek re-election next year.
“I made this decision with tremendous thought and reflection, and through many personal conversations with my husband Bill and my family,” Watson Coleman said in a lengthy statement. “I am confident it is the right choice for me and my family who have graciously sacrificed by my side when I placed serving our community above all else and I can truly say, I am at peace with my decision.”
Watson Coleman’s decision opens up her seat in the 12th congressional district, a safely blue district that spans Trenton, Plainfield, and a variety of other diverse Central Jersey towns. The Democratic primary to succeed her is likely to include a number of major Democratic names – just as it did in 2014, when Watson Coleman came from behind to win a competitive Democratic primary against two fellow state legislators.
The 80-year-old Watson Coleman, who has broken numerous barriers during her career as her father did before her, said that she believed now was the time to “pass the torch” to a new progressive voice in her district.
“It is my fervent hope that whoever is next elected to serve the people of the 12th congressional district will be a public servant grounded in strong moral principles and an unabashed advocate in the United States Congress on behalf of those they have the privilege to represent,” she said. “I hope we will see, in this district and districts across the nation, representatives who, in the words of my dear former colleague and friend, Congressman John Lewis, stand ready to, ‘Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and help redeem the soul of America.’”
Watson Coleman’s father, John Watson, was a groundbreaking Mercer County politician who, in 1970, became the first African American to serve on the Mercer County Board of Freeholders. In 1981, he won a seat in the State Assembly, and represented the district for 12 years before retiring in 1993.
Shortly after Watson died, his daughter began her own political rise. After working in a number of government jobs and raising three sons, Watson Coleman ran for political office for the first time in 1997, when a seat opened up in her father’s old Trenton-based legislative district. Watson Coleman won easily, and went on to serve for nine terms, two of them as Assembly Majority Leader. She also had a four-year stint as chairwoman of the New Jersey Democratic Party.
In 2014, Watson Coleman got the chance to move up further when Rep. Rush Holt (D-Hopewell) decided to retire from the 12th congressional district, a deep-blue, sprawling Central Jersey seat with large Asian, Hispanic, and Black populations. Watson Coleman entered the race with strong support in her native Mercer County, but two other state legislators, Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula (D-Franklin) and State Sen. Linda Greenstein (D-Plainsboro), stood between her and the nomination.
At first, Greenstein looked like the favorite, with one news article calling her the “clear front-runner” for the seat. But Watson Coleman’s base in Mercer County, combined with new allies in Union County, won the day: she beat Greenstein 43% to 28%, becoming the first Black New Jersey congresswoman and the first woman to represent the state in Congress at all since Marge Roukema retired in 2002.
Watson Coleman quickly established herself in Washington as an unusually lucid liberal voice, one unafraid to harshly criticize Republicans and Donald Trump – she once called the president a “lying, stupid, amoral son-of-a-bitch” – as well as, sometimes, members of her own party.
Watson Coleman consistently stood out as New Jersey’s most progressive member of Congress, especially after the war in Gaza began between Israel and Hamas. She was among the first members of Congress to call for a ceasefire, and said in her retirement announcement today that one of her greatest missions has been to advocate for a “two-state solution that paves the way for peace, prosperity, and dignity for Israelis and Palestinians.”
She also made headlines this year when she and two of her Democratic colleagues paid an oversight visit to Newark’s Delaney Hall immigrant detention facility, a visit which resulted in a scuffle with federal immigration officers and assault charges against Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-Newark).
But running alongside Watson Coleman’s progressive politics was her increasing command of concrete power in Washington. In 2019, Watson Coleman joined the powerful House Appropriations Committee, which is responsible for writing the legislation that keeps the government funded; earlier this year, she also joined the Budget Committee, a smaller committee that had a key role in writing Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill. (Watson Coleman, of course, fought it every step of the way.)
In light of conversations around the country about whether older politicians should step aside, Watson Coleman repeatedly insisted this year that she planned on running for re-election in 2026. And she likely would have secured it: one Democrat, fitness studio owner Kyle Little, had stepped up to run against her, but he had garnered relatively little attention for his campaign. No prominent local Democrats were seriously thinking about challenging the congresswoman, a cancer survivor who remains sharp and fit.
Watson Coleman said that while she may be stepping aside – and the attention will undoubtedly shift to the soon-to-develop Democratic primary to succeed her – she still plans on serving out the remaining year of her term as the same congresswoman she’s always been.
“We have a lot more to do over the next year and the fight goes on,” she said. “I look forward to finishing out that work.”
Watson Coleman’s full statement
“I have been blessed in my life to be surrounded by loved ones who have always valued the importance of serving the public, and I have never taken that opportunity to serve for granted. I truly believe that ‘to whom much is given, much is required’ and, as such, I have always prioritized the people I represent above any personal or professional gain.
The values and principles instilled in my brothers and me at a young age from our parents, John and Marie Watson, have been a guiding light on this incredible journey in public service and they are the very same ideals that inform my decision now. I made this decision with tremendous thought and reflection, and through many personal conversations with my husband Bill and my family. I am confident it is the right choice for me and my family who have graciously sacrificed by my side when I placed serving our community above all else and I can truly say, I am at peace with my decision.
I made a commitment years ago to always lead the charge on behalf of those I represent, and I believe I have fulfilled that commitment to the very best of my abilities. I have always stood on the frontlines in the fight for principled progressive policies and my work has centered on the belief that there must be a floor below which we should never allow any child, family, or person to fall. This is evident in my legislative agenda to build an economy for all, reform our criminal justice system, achieve health equity, and eliminate poverty. I believe we must secure everlasting peace to conflicts all around the globe and pray our leaders advocate for a two-state solution that paves the way for peace, prosperity, and dignity for Israelis and Palestinians. I believe in giving voice to truth, speaking truth to power, and I believe as a consequence of that, we have been able to effect real results that will be felt in communities across America for generations. I also believe now is the time to pass the torch to the next leader who will continue leading this charge.
It is my fervent hope that whoever is next elected to serve the people of the 12th Congressional District will be a public servant grounded in strong moral principles and an unabashed advocate in the United States Congress on behalf of those they have the privilege to represent. I hope we will see, in this district and districts across the nation, representatives who, in the words of my dear former colleague and friend, Congressman John Lewis, stand ready to, ‘Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and help redeem the soul of America.’
While I am not seeking re-election, there is still more to be done in my last year in public office. I absolutely intend to continue serving my constituents in the 12th district straight through to the last day of my term.
We are at a critical juncture in our nation’s history. Last week our country saw what happens when we work together and we stand against the horrific and oppressive policies emanating from the Trump White House. In elections across the country and especially right here at home in New Jersey, we saw the undeniable power when diverse coalitions, marginalized voices, and organized communities stand with one voice united behind shared goals rooted in the belief that we are our brother’s keeper. Those goals do not change. We must continue to stand and fight against those who would target the vulnerable and attempt to harm our democracy.
I have never been a prideful person just as I have never taken my many blessings for granted, but I can say today that I believe we were able to make a tremendous positive impact for many people, and for that I am grateful. I am honored to have served my constituents who faithfully trusted me to be their voice. I am blessed to have been in this fight with my esteemed colleagues and friends in the New Jersey Assembly and the United States Congress. And, I have been fortunate to have had the unwavering support of an awesome team of dedicated, talented, and compassionate staffers. We have a lot more to do over the next year and the fight goes on. I look forward to finishing out that work.”
