Watson Coleman ‘Humbled, Excited’ After NJ-12 Congressional Seat Win

PRINCETON, NJ — Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman celebrated her reelection to New Jersey’s 12th Congressional District on Wednesday by thanking the voters.

The AP called the race for Watson Coleman at 11 p.m. on Tuesday. She faced a challenge from Republican Darius Mayfield. More: Bonnie Watson Coleman Wins NJ-12 Congress Seat Again, AP Says

“I want to thank the people of the 12th District for choosing me to represent them. I'm truly humbled,” Watson Coleman said on Twitter.

“I’m excited to continue the work of serving the people of the 12th District and look forward to working every day to live up to the faith you’ve put in me.”

New Jersey’s 12th Congressional district, which remained largely unchanged by congressional redistricting, includes Mercer, Middlesex, somerset and Union Counties.

“Voters of all stripes around the country sent a loud and clear message yesterday: Bans Off Our Bodies. Let's codify reproductive rights NO,” the Congresswoman said.

AP results show 14,212 Mercer County votes for Watson Coleman, and 3,876 for Mayfield, as of Wednesday morning. Although the votes in Mercer are to be

In Middlesex County, voters chose Watson Coleman by 46,260 votes to Mayfield’s 38,432, according to AP’s tabulation.

The Somerset County municipalities in NJ-12 gave Watson Coleman 29,261 votes and Mayfield 18,064, the AP said. Meanwhile, Union County gave 6,098 votes to the Congresswoman and 753 votes to Mayfield.

On Wednesday, Mayfield said his party had an “incredible night” and made history and “significant gains.”

“This is just the beginning and we significantly outperformed expectations,” Mayfield told supporters in a social media post.

“So far we've received the largest share of votes for a Republican in over a decade in New Jersey's most Democratic district,” Mayfield said. “Even with every single machine shutting down in Mercer County - how many votes were missed? If you think we should be hanging our heads, you are not paying attention.”

Watson Coleman is the first Black woman to represent New Jersey in Congress. She was first elected in 2014, when she defeated Republican Alieta Eck to succeed the retiring Rush Holt. Watson Coleman will begin her fifth term in the house of representatives.

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