Another long-time mainstay in the Democratic Party is leaving Congress. This time, the first Black woman to represent New Jersey has announced that she will not seek reelection. Her retirement marks the end of decades of public service in the Garden State.
Bonnie Watson Coleman retires from Congress after a long political career
Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman announced Monday that she will not seek reelection after her current term ends. Coleman posted a message on social media discussing her 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,” she said. “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.”
Having fulfilled her mission of “speaking truth to power,” the 80-year-old congresswoman said she believes that “now is the time to pass the torch to the next leader who will continue leading this charge.”
Watson Coleman comes from a political family; her father was a New Jersey state legislator. She served eight terms as a member of the New Jersey State Assembly, from 1998 until 2014, eventually becoming its speaker. She was then elected as the first Black woman to represent New Jersey in the U.S. House of Representatives, where she is currently serving her sixth term. She represents New Jersey’s 12th District, a solidly Democratic district that includes the state capital, Trenton, as well as the city of Princeton, home of Princeton University.
A progressive legacy and a passing of the torch
Watson Coleman, a self-proclaimed progressive, has been at the center of several notable events in recent years. In 2021, Watson Coleman, then 75, contracted COVID-19, which she attributed to having to shelter in place next to unmasked Republican colleagues during the January 6 insurrection. In 2022, she led her colleagues in the House to pass the Crown Act, aimed at outlawing hair-based discrimination. Watson Coleman has been a vocal critic of the Trump administration. Earlier this year, she was among a group of New Jersey area Democratic officials who got into an alleged altercation with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents as they attempted to gain entry to a new ICE detention center in the state, leading to the arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and later federal assault charges against Congresswoman LaMonica McIver.
Watson Coleman’s retirement comes as there appears to be a changing of the guard within the Democratic Party. Last week, former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, 85, announced that she is retiring from her congressional seat representing the San Francisco area.
The race to succeed Watson Coleman has already begun. East Brunswick Mayor Brad Cohen has announced that he’s running for Watson Coleman’s 12th District seat, as has Somerset County Commissioner Shanel Robinson, and several other Democrats could potentially enter the race as well.
Watson Coleman is leaving large and active shoes to fill for the person who replaces her in Congress. It will take significant dedication for her successor to match her legacy of activism and leadership for the people of New Jersey and marginalized people around the country.