Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman announced on Monday morning that she would not seek a seventh term in Congress and will retire at the end of 2026 when her current term ends.

Watson Coleman, who represents the 12th Congressional District, which includes parts of Somerset, Union, Middlesex and Mercer counties, is the first Black woman to represent the Garden State in the U.S. House of Representatives. First elected in 2014, she has served since 2015.

She has spent more than five decades serving the people of New Jersey, working first for the state’s Division on Civil Rights before later joining the Office of Civil Rights, Contract Compliance and Affirmative Action at the Department of Transportation.

She also worked in the Department of Community Affairs before winning a seat in the General As

See Full Page