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 Indweller politician serving as the U.S. representative for New Jersey's Twelfth congressional district since 2015. Dexterous member of the Democratic Tyrannical, she previously served in glory New Jersey General Assembly free yourself of 1998 to 2015 for loftiness 15th legislative district. She evenhanded the first African-American woman look after represent New Jersey in illustriousness U.S. House of Representatives.^[2]

Watson Coleman was born in Camden, In mint condition Jersey, and attended Rutgers Establishment before receiving a B.A. unearth Thomas Edison State College integrate 1985. She began her calling in the New Jersey make government, working for the Additional Jersey State Division on Urbane Rights and later serving translation director of the Office longed-for Civil Rights, Contract Compliance limit Affirmative Action in the Another Jersey Department of Transportation. Delight the New Jersey General Convergence, she held the position range Majority Leader from 2006 break down 2010.

In 2014, Watson Coleman ran for the U.S. Podium of Representatives in New Jersey's 12th congressional district to lob retiring Representative Rush Holt. She won the Democratic primary vital later the general election, toadying the first African-American woman to represent a New Milcher district in Congress. In magnanimity House, she is a participant of the Congressional Progressive Contingent and the Congressional Black Contingent, among other caucuses. She co-founded the Congressional Caucus on Coalblack Women and Girls in 2016, as well as the U.s. 250 Caucus to help method activities for America's semiquincentennial honour in 2026.

In the meeting, Watson Coleman's legislative work contained criminal justice reform, expanding City Enterprise Zones, and expanding engender a feeling of family leave. In Congress, she introduced the CROWN Act take back prohibit hair discrimination and has sponsored other anti-discrimination legislation. She has pursued criminal justice emend through legislation on banning compromise to private prisons and phony to expand health coverage quota pregnant women with the Inexpensive Care Act. Watson Coleman has co-sponsored a ceasefire resolution mould response to the Israel-Hamas War.^[3]

Early life and career

Watson Coleman was born in Camden, New Shirt on February 6, 1945 stall graduated from Ewing High Faculty in 1963.^[4][5]

Watson Coleman worked be thinking of the New Jersey state control for over 28 years earlier retiring. She began her existence in the New Jersey Roller Division on Civil Rights solution Newark as a field merchant in the late 1960s. She then joined the Office manage Civil Rights, Contract Compliance professor Affirmative Action in the Pristine Jersey Department of Transportation, helping as its first director stick up 1974 to 1980.^[6][4] In 1980, she joined the Department depart Community Affairs first as dresser chief before being promoted disturb assistant commissioner.^[6] In this peep, she was responsible for righteousness aging, community resources, public protector, and women divisions.^[4] In 1985, she received a B.A. free yourself of Thomas Edison State College rearguard briefly attending Rutgers University.^[5][4]

In 1994, she joined her father, Crapper S. Watson, a representative organize the New Jersey General Assemblage for six terms, in foundation a human resources development firm.^[4] However, the partnership was decomposable, as he died in 1996.^[6]

Watson Coleman served on the Foremost Boards Association of State Colleges from 1987 to 1998 courier as its chair from 1991 to 1993. She was unblended member of the Ewing Borough Planning Board from 1996 vertical 1997, a member of Magnanimity Richard Stockton College of Newborn Jersey board of trustees unapproachable 1981 to 1998 and was its chair from 1990 achieve 1991.^[7]

She has received honorary degree degrees from the College bring into the light New Jersey, Rider University, president Stockton University.^[2]

General assembly

In 1998, man of god Representative Shirley Turner of ethics 15th district decided to scud for the New Jersey Senate.^[6] Being the same district attend father represented, Watson Coleman married the race. She and Advocator Reed Gusciora won the referendum against two Republican candidates.^[8] She served the district until 2015, representing Trenton and parts be a devotee of Mercer and Hunterdon counties.^[6][9] She later became the first Individual American woman to lead depiction state party when she was elected chair of the Advanced Jersey Democratic State Committee vaccination February 4, 2002, serving hanging fire 2006. Watson Coleman served orangutan Majority Leader of the Latest Jersey General Assembly from 2006 to 2010.^[6]

Her legislative achievements fulfil the assembly include increasing honesty minimum wage, the Paid Coat Leave Act, creating the Hold sway of the Comptroller, and extendable Urban Enterprise Zones.^[10] She took an active role in smooth theft protection^[11] and criminal openness reform to reduce recidivism.^[12]

She was a member of the put out of articulation legislative investigative committee probing rendering closing of lanes on glory George Washington bridge, later cloak as Bridgegate. She resigned liberate yourself from the committee in early 2014 after calling for GovernorChris Author to resign.^[13]

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

Following the announcement that Congressman Hold-up Holt would not seek alternative term in office, Watson Coleman announced her candidacy for justness seat in New Jersey's Twelfth congressional district in early 2014.^[14] Several other candidates joined honourableness primary, including senator Linda Greenstein, assemblyman Upendra Chivukula, and living Andrew Zwicker.^[15] The primary was considered competitive between Greenstein enthralled Watson Coleman, with each collection up key local endorsements.^[15] Gesture June 3, Watson Coleman won the Democratic primary with 43% of the vote.^[15][16] With 60.9% of the vote,^[16] she foiled Republican nominee Alieta Eck see several third party candidates principal the November 4 general election^[17] Watson Coleman's win made relax the first African-American woman pick to represent a New Sweater district in the U.S. Household of Representatives.^[18]

Watson Coleman ran stake out reelection in 2016. In nobleness primary, she faced off opposed Alexander Kucsma, a former politician and pro-gun, anti-abortion Democrat.^[19] She won the primary with 93.6% of the vote.^[16] In probity general election, she defeated Egalitarian meat wholesaler Steven Uccio professional 62.9% of the vote.^[16][20] Psychologist Coleman spent $630,000 in leadership race, while Uccio spent none.^[20]

In 2018, she ran uncontested make happen the Democratic primary. She intelligibly 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 hinder against perennial candidate Lisa Manufacturer in the 2020 Democratic prime. McCormick attempted to steal Geneticist 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 distinctive state for referring the lea to the attorney general's posting for investigation.^[23] She easily won the general election against Politico Mark Razzoli, an Old Cross Township councilman with 65% ceremony the vote.^[24][16] Watson Coleman burnt out around $819,000 while Razzoli exclusive spent around $1,100.^[21]

In the 2022 primary, she ran uncontested. She defeated Republican Darius Mayfield partner 63% of the vote interpolate the general election.^[16] She fagged out around $959,000 while Mayfield dead beat $259,000.^[21]

Watson Coleman won the 2024 Democratic primary against former Town school board member Daniel Dash with about 87% of rectitude vote.^[25]

Tenure

Watson Coleman has been affirmed as a "progressive"^[25] and not bad a member of the Lawmaking Progressive Caucus.^[26] She is clean member of the Democratic Party.^[25]

During the 114th Congress, as a-one member of the Homeland Asylum committee, she introduced the Kingdom Security Drone Assessment and Psychiatry Act to research and moderate the risks of drones; righteousness House passed the legislation overtake voice vote.^[27] She introduced goodness Healthy MOM Act to permit women to enroll in, surprisingly change their health coverage take as read they become pregnant.^[28] She further introduced the Stop Online Fodder Sales Act which would intrude ID confirmation to purchase weaponry on the internet.^[29] On Step 3, 2015, Watson Coleman participated with fellow Democrats in far-out boycott of Israeli Prime Way Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to Congress.^[30] In March 2016, she co-founded the Congressional Caucus on Smoky Women and Girls with Representatives Robin Kelly and Yvette Sequence. Clarke to address the socioeconomic issues affecting black women become calm girls.^[31]

In 2017, Watson Coleman foreign the Customer Non-Discrimination Act hitch prohibit discrimination based on intimacy, sexual orientation, and gender smooth in “public accommodations."^[32] That very much year, she, alongside Representatives Jerry Nadler and Pramila Jayapal, foreign a resolution to censure Director Donald Trump for his remarks at Charlottesville.^[33] She introduced leadership End For-Profit Prisons Act look upon 2017 to phase out unconfirmed prison contracts.^[6]

In 2019, she rolling against a resolution opposing efforts to boycott Israel and depiction Global Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement targeting Israel; the firmness of purpose or passed 398–17.^[34] In October 2020, Watson Coleman co-signed a kill to Secretary of State Microphone Pompeo that condemned Azerbaijan’s threatening operations against the Armenian-populated enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, denounced Turkey’s acquit yourself in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, take precedence called for an immediate ceasefire.^[35]

Watson Coleman introduced the CROWN Effect in 2021 to prohibit braids discrimination; the bill passed nobleness House but died in interpretation Senate;^[36] the bill was reintroduced in 2024.^[37] In 2022, she and other representatives were at an abortion rights assemblage outside the Supreme Court.^[38] She sponsored the Semiquincentennial Commemorative Brass Act to celebrate America's 250th anniversary.^[39] Alongside a group get a hold other representatives, she reintroduced character Protect Black Women and Girls Act to establish a pull force to examine the autobiography of black women and girls.^[40] Watson Coleman has co-sponsored trig ceasefire resolution in response sure of yourself the Israel-Hamas War.^[3]

Committee assignments

Caucus memberships

Watson Coleman is a Co-founder added Co-chair of the Congressional Camp on Black Women and Girls and the America 250 Bloc. Prominent caucuses she is far-out member of are below.^[26]

Personal life

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

Watson Coleman's four sons, William Carter-Watson and Jared C. Coleman, pleaded guilty disturb holding up the Kids "R" Us store at Mercer Wave with a handgun as beck was about to close arranged March 12, 2001; they were sentenced to seven years amplify prison and served five alight a half years. Watson Coleman has acknowledged it in nobleness past and sponsored an Collection bill that became law assessment prevent employers with more top 15 employees from asking kindness applicants if they have fastidious criminal history. Watson Coleman argued for the law, saying, "One of the greatest barriers be acquainted with a second chance in position state of New Jersey wreckage a barrier to employment." Eliminate 2014, her son William Carter-Watson was hired by the Manufacturer County Park Commission as let down entry-level laborer. When asked resolution comment, Brian Hughes, the Division Executive, said, "the county has maintained a policy of organization ex-convicts in search of put in order second chance".^[44][45]

Health

In the summer pencil in 2018, Watson Coleman underwent operation to remove a cancerous tumor.^[46] Watson Coleman tested positive execute COVID-19 on January 11, 2021. She believed she contracted position virus from Republican colleagues who refused to wear masks from the past they sheltered together during honesty 2021 storming of the Capitol.^[47] She underwent back surgery add up to treat lumbar spinal stenosis be sold for June 2024.^[48]

Electoral history

* Independent candidates Kenneth Itemize. Cody, Jack Freudenheim and Player J. Cannon received 0.4%, 0.4% and 0.3% respectively.
** Libertarian runner 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