U.S. Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.), who represents Princeton as part of New Jersey’s 12th Congressional District, announced on Monday that she will not seek re-election in 2026.
Watson Coleman’s retirement ends more than 50 years in public service, with the last decade being in Congress.
An announcement said that the 80-year-old representative reached the decision after “tremendous thought,” including discussions with her family. It also said she is “at peace with [her] decision” and ready to “pass the torch to the next leader.”
Following the announcement, many state officials were quick to praise Watson Coleman. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said that she has “blazed a trail for generations of New Jerseyans” for women and people of color in politics.
Meanwhile, governor-elect Mikie Sherrill said that “New Jersey is a better place today because of Bonnie Watson Coleman’s lifetime of service to our state and country.” Sherrill noted that when she arrived in Congress in 2018, Watson Coleman was the only other woman in the Garden State delegation, noting how she “appreciated her mentorship and counsel over the years.”
Following her election win in 2014, Watson Coleman became the first Black woman to represent New Jersey in the House of Representatives. She had previously served eight terms in the New Jersey General Assembly, where she eventually became Majority Leader and later chaired the state’s Democratic Party.
On the Hill, she quickly emerged as a leading progressive and has centered her work “on the belief that there must be a floor below which we should never allow any child, family, or person to fall,” according to the statement.
Her legislative agenda has primarily focused on criminal justice reform, health care equity, economic security for low-income families, and efforts to reduce the poverty rate.
Watson Coleman has also criticized the Trump administration’s immigration policies. Following the July ICE raids in Princeton, she expressed that “this kind of conduct has absolutely no place in our community or our country.”
Earlier this year, she joined U.S. Representatives Rob Menendez (D-N.J.) and LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.) at an immigration detention facility in Newark. Planned as an oversight visit, the trip ended with a confrontation with federal authorities. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested on trespassing charges, which were later dropped, while McIver was accused of assaulting federal officers. Watson Coleman advocated for her colleagues at the court hearing.
Watson Coleman has been a familiar name on the ballot. Since her 2014 win, she has been re-elected five times, often by landslide margins of 25 points or more. Her district, New Jersey’s 12th, is one of the most diverse districts in the state.
Her decision not to seek re-election reshapes the landscape for Central New Jersey politics. Prior to the announcement, the only Democrat who filed with the Federal Election Commission to run was fitness studio owner Kyle Little, who has limited fundraising.
After Watson Coleman’s retirement announcement, Somerset County Commissioner Director Shanel Robinson and East Brunswick Mayor Brad Cohen declared campaigns for 2026.
Sen. Andrew Zwicker (D-N.J.), a physicist at the Princeton University Plasma Physics Laboratory, ran in 2014 and has been floated as a potential candidate.
After New Jersey courts struck down the “county line” ballot design that favored party-backed candidates, the primary to succeed Watson Coleman is expected to be more crowded than the 2014 race. As of Nov. 1, the district includes more than 227,000 registered Democrats.
Nationally, Watson Coleman now becomes one of over three dozen House members who have already announced they will no longer seek re-election in 2026, part of the larger generational shift underway across both sides of the party aisles.
Despite her retirement, Watson Coleman has emphasized her intention to remain active through the end of her term, saying that “there is still more to be done in my last year in public office.”
“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,’” said the announcement.
Hayk Yengibaryan is a head News editor, senior Sports writer, and education director for the ‘Prince.’ He is from Glendale, Calif. and typically covers breaking news and profiles. He can be reached at hy5161[at]princeton.edu.
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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