Age: 79
Hometown: Trenton
Occupation: Member of Congress
Personal background: Before her tenure in public service, both in the New Jersey General Assembly and now currently in the US House of Representative, Bonnie Watson Coleman served in the Executive Branch of State Government. She was a Bureau Chief in the Division of Civil Rights under the NJ Dept. of Law and Public Safety, an Assistant Commissioner to the NJ Dept. of Community Affairs, and helped start the first Office of Civil Rights in the NJ Dept. of Transportation. Watson Coleman is a graduate of Thomas Edison State College, and has received honorary doctorate degrees from the College of New Jersey, Rider University, and Stockton University. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and co-chair of the Girl Scouts of America Capitol Hill Honorary Troop. She resides with her husband, William, in Ewing Township. The two are blessed to have three sons: William, Troy and Jared; and three grandchildren: William, Ashanee and Kamryn.
Political background: Bonnie Watson Coleman served the 15th Legislative District in the New Jersey General Assembly. In that time she served as the Majority Leader as well as the Chair of the Democratic State Party. In 2014, she ran for the open 12th Congressional District seat left by the retiring Rush Holt. Since winning that election, she has served on the House Committee on Oversight; the Homeland Security Committee; and currently the House Appropriations Committee. She sits on the subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development as well as the subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies. In her time as a Member of Congress, she co-founded and has co-chaired the Congressional Caucus on Black Women and Girls; co-founded and co-chaired the American 250 Caucus; served on the Executive Board of the Congressional Progressive Caucus; serves on the Congressional Black Caucus, chairing the Health Nutrition and Well Being Task Force; serves on the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus; the Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Anti-Semitism; Congressional Labor Caucus; Congressional Medicare for All Caucus; Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues; Congressional Voting Rights Caucus, and more.
Reason for running: Serving the people of Central Jersey has been one of the greatest honors of my life. I am proud of the work that I have done on behalf of the 12th District – putting people over politics. I will continue to fight at the front lines. After the Dobbs decision took away the fundamental right of a woman’s autonomy, I fought in every Appropriations mark-up to stop Republicans’ further attempts to harm. When Republicans chose to make human lives political pawns in an effort to back away from immigration reform, I formed my own Advisory Committee to hear from those on the ground. As school shootings continue to break records, I introduced legislation with common sense approaches to curtail the proliferation of guns.
I’ve taken every fight in Washington head on. I’ve worked with Republicans to pass the One-Seat-Ride Act to make it easier for people to commute to work and the Pursuing Equity in Mental Health Act to ensure our children have access to the mental health resources. Building coalitions are important and I believe I have achieved that without sacrificing the progressive values that the 12th District has trusted me to bring to Washington.
Biggest issue: Safeguarding Democracy
On the federal government’s role in women’s reproductive health: As a Member of the Pro Choice Caucus, I believe that the government’s role is to protect people’s right to make their own decisions.. No politician, should have a say in a woman’s decision to start a family. These are very personal decisions. Republicans have been on a 40 year mission to take these decisions away from individuals and their doctors in favor of politicians and judges.
In every election since the outrageous Dobbs decision, voters from Kansas to Kentucky, California to Florida, voters have rejected attempts to take away these rights. The people have said loud and clear that they will not sit idly while rights are stripped away.
I’m working with my Democratic colleagues to codify the right to an abortion into law and take this issue out of the hands of the courts that have been stacked with conservative judges over the last few Republican Administrations. Additionally, I am in favor of repealing the antiquated Comstock Act that is being used as a tool to ban mifepristone.
On the U.S. transition to clean energy: I am proud to have supported President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act and the largest investment in clean energy production in our history. It commits $369 billion to bring the American economy into a clean, green, renewable energy future: Investments in electric vehicle production, solar energy development, wind farms and hydro-energy. It curbs pollution and holds companies accountable for their waste. It is the foundation upon which a sustainable future can be built.
But let me be clear: the work is not yet done. The project of protecting our planet – our home – is far from complete.
I have authored the SHADE Act and the Stay Cool Act to invest in communities and equip them with the resources to handle the rising temperatures that are already here.
I will continue to champion environmentally sound legislation and as the Representative of the 12th District, I am proud to support the work being done right in our own district at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL). PPPL’s mission is to harness fusion energy for a safer, cleaner source of power that our world needs. I am grateful for their dedication to science, exploration, and discovery.
On ensuring free and fair elections and transition of power: As the biggest issue in this upcoming election, the assurance of a free and fair election is
paramount to safeguarding our Democracy. In the last 8 years since the emergence of Donald Trump and his warped and dangerous brand of politics, a lot of lies have been spread about our elections. Donald Trump and his MAGA sycophant politicians have spread lies for two reasons: to justify their efforts to take away the right to vote and to cast doubt on our elections and our democracy itself. This upcoming election is not just about deciding between two candidates. This election will decide whether we get to make any future decisions. I am a proud sponsor of my friend’s namesake legislation, the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, which would restore and strengthen parts of the 1964 Voting Rights Act.
I am also the author of the Filer Voter Act which will make it easier to register to vote.
This bill allows voters to register to vote when they file their taxes. The Filer Voter Act will require tax preparers to provide individuals the option to receive voter registration materials and is a commonsense option to increase voting access.
On the U.S. role in foreign conflicts: After the terrorist attack on Oct 7th, I called for a three-pronged approach to foreign aid in response to the growing needs of Ukraine, Israel, and Gaza. Since then, the bombing in Gaza has killed over 34,000, including 13,000 children. During this time, the President has stressed to his counterparts in Israel the need to take greater care to avoid civilian casualties. Sadly, even after these repeated entreaties the casualties keep mounting.
After careful consideration, I voted in favor of three of the four foreign aid bills. I voted to support Ukraine as it defends against Russian aggression, to shore up our allies in the Indo-Pacific as they stave off expanding Chinese authoritarianism, and to impose sanctions on Iran and Russia.
Although I have historically supported funding for Israel’s defensive capabilities such as the Iron Dome, I could not in good conscience vote to send further offensive weapons to the far-right Netanyahu government. To do so would pivot away from the goal of achieving lasting and sustainable peace for the region.
I believe in a two-state solution, in peace, and in accountability. As for the three bills I supported, they will make America and our allies safer.
