Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman today endorsed former Woodbridge mayor and New Jersey governor James E. McGreevey in his campaign for Jersey City mayor.

Watson Coleman became the first African American woman to serve New Jersey in Congress in 2015.  She previously served in the New Jersey State General Assembly, where she rose to the position of Majority Leader, and was elected to be the first African American woman to chair the New Jersey Democratic State Party in 2002, when then-Governor McGreevey was the head of the Party.

“I have worked with Jim McGreevey as a mayor, as a governor and as a private citizen fighting to deliver opportunity for those who need it most and I have been proud to call him a friend,” said Watson Coleman.  “Jim’s dedication to advancing the priorities and goals of the Democratic Party drove our early work together and he remains a partner and a leader who has never betrayed those values.”

Watson Coleman continued, “Jim’s most important decisions are guided by his faith and his work with the New Jersey Reentry Corporation is a true indicator of his devotion to community and to the importance of providing a second chance.  Jim McGreevey and I have always shared the same Democratic values and I know he is the best choice to lead Jersey City into the future.”

McGreevey thanked the Congresswoman for her endorsement, stating, “Bonnie Watson Coleman has been a trailblazer, both in New Jersey and in Washington, and I am grateful for her endorsement of our campaign.  Years ago, I had the good fortune to work side by side with the Congresswoman helping to get Democrats elected throughout New Jersey when she served as State Party Chair, but our greatest collaboration has been working to provide hope and a second chance for so many who were previously afforded none.  I appreciate Bonnie’s friendship and her leadership and consider both to be a blessing.”

Rep. Watson Coleman is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and the Congressional Black Caucus and co-founded the Congressional Caucus of Black Women and Girls.  She has been on the frontlines in the fight against Donald Trump, Elon Musk and the MAGA movement and has long been a champion for criminal justice reform to help reduce recidivism, both in the General Assembly and as a member of Congress.