Bonnie Watson Coleman Will Not Seek Re-Election

November 10, 2025 | newjerseyglobe.com

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.”

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NJ SEED: Watson Coleman is the latest of 13 House incumbents to announce retirement from public office. When her 6th term in Congress ends in January of 2027, she will conclude nearly 30 years of public service, having served 17 years in the NJ Assembly prior to being elected to the House of Representatives. More fiercely partisan than her father, John Watson, whose six terms she followed in the General Assembly, she served with distinction on the House Appropriations Committee. Watson Coleman’s seat in the deep blue 12th District will undoubtedly be filled by another Democrat.