New Jersey Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (Dem) won re-election to her congressional seat representing N.J. 12th District for a second term. She handily defeated Republican Steven Uccio and 5 other challenger withe over 63% of the vote.
ELECTION RESULTS:
Watson Coleman, Bonnie (i) Dem 160,851 63%
Uccio, Steven GOP 83,049 32%
Forchion, Edward Ind 5,420 2%
Shapiro, Robert Ind 2,496 1%
Fitzpatrick, Thomas Lib 2,202 1%
Welzer, Steven Grn 1,854 1%
Bollentin, Michael Ind 1,148 0%
A group of elected New Jersey officials released the following statement in response to a Republican campaign flyer that is overtly racist. Don't take my word for it you can look at the flier and read that response below.
This statement comes from the following elected officials. Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka, NJ State Democratic Party Chairman John Currie, Essex County Democratic Party Chairman Leroy Jones, Senator Teresa Ruiz, Senator Ron Rice, Governor Dick Codey, Assemblyman Ralph Caputo, Assemblywoman Cleopatra Tucker, Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson, Assemblyman Tom Giblin Assemblywoman Eliana Pintor-Marin and Assemblywoman Sheila Oliver.
The Republican Party of Burlington County has mailed local residents an appeal for votes based on undisguised racism that relies on racial and economic stereotypes. The flyer states, “If you don’t want Burlington County to turn into this part of New Jersey, then vote for the people who make our county a special place to live. The mailer features a large map of northern New Jersey with Newark in large bold lettering and a large red push pin stuck into Newark.
The not so subtle message is that Newark and its suburbs are all that white voters fear in a community: Black, Latino, Poor, Dangerous, and Blighted. The characterization is slanderous and false. It exploits the worst racial stereotyping. The message is that if you elect Democrats, minorities will take over your community and destroy it. You will be driven out.
The theme of the Burlington Republicans is the same divisive rhetoric as the Trump campaign and its cheerleader-in-chief, Chris Christie. The Trump campaign is toxic and contagious. It’s blatant racism has emboldened local Republican candidates and given them permission to campaign on a message that has heretofore been confined to white supremacists. We urge the voters of Burlington County to come out and vote in record numbers this year. Every vote against the Burlington Republican candidates and against Donald Trump will send a message that our communities reject those who seek to divide us for political gain. And we call on our legislative colleagues of both parties to stand with us and denounce the hateful Burlington Republican campaign.
Jim Johnson, a former U.S. Treasury official and federal prosecutor has announced he's running for governor of N.J., wading into a Democratic primary that many considered over before it officially began.
Johnson, of Montclair, has opened a campaign office in his hometown, looking to mount a challenge against banking executive and former U.S ambassador Phil Murphy, who kick-started his campaign with $10 million of his own money and is considered the odds-on favorite for the governorship.
Johnson told NJ Advance Media on Monday that he's running on a platform of rebuilding the state's economy, restoring bonds in the community and renewing trust in government.
"I believe that elections, at the end of the day, are about the people who go to the voting booth," he said.
Johnson is a former undersecretary for enforcement at the Treasury Department, where he oversaw the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Secret Service, U.S. Customs and other agencies during President Bill Clinton's administration.
He also headed up New Jersey's Advisory Committee on Police Standards, which was formed during the late 1990s when the State Police was under federal monitoring for racial profiling, and has helped shape recent reforms including the Attorney General's Office's policy on the use of body-worn cameras.
Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D) easily defeated college professor Alexander Kucsma of Somerset in the NJ congressional Democratic Primary. Coleman won U.S. House - District 12 with 94% of the vote.
The final tally was Coleman 66,029 Alexander Kucsma 4,463
Just ahead on the June 7th Primary the N.J. Black Mayors’ Alliance for Social Justice yesterday formally endorsed Hillary Clinton for president following a meeting with the Democrat candidate.The mayors discussed issues important to them including concerns about the economy,income equality gap, and the unemployment rate in NJ with Clinton. Here's an excerpt about the meeting from the Amsterdam News.
The mayors discussed issues important to them, including the economy. As the nation comes back from the worst downturn since the recession, the elected officials said the poor and disadvantaged have not benefited. In many New Jersey cities, more than a third of minority adults are unemployed, even when the nation is doing well financially. Data from a 2015 U.S. Census study show that the income equality gap in the Garden State is among the worst in the nation.
“The growing gap between the very wealthy and the poor, the disadvantaged and the middle class is a calamity that threatens the very existence of democracy in America,” said Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka, Chairman of the Black Mayors’ Alliance. “The fact that anyone takes Donald Trump seriously and that he has become a serious candidate for President is symptomatic of what will happen to our nation if income inequality continues to get worse. Hillary Clinton offers our best chance to achieve economic and social justice in America.”
Clinton expressed her support for the campaign of the Black mayors to expand job training and apprenticeship programs targeted to sectors with job growth, to strengthen school vocational programs, to expand support for MWBEs and to strengthen re-entry programs for ex-offenders. She also supports increasing the minimum wage in New Jersey.
During the roundtable, Clinton discussed her commitment to criminal justice reforms and addressing gun violence, building upon President Barack Obama’s progress and making college affordable.
During an interview with the political site PolitikerNJ, NJ Congressman Donald Payne (A Hillary Clinton supporter) voiced his displeasure with democratic candidate Bernie Sanders. Payne went so far as to say that "Sanders Is Trying to ‘Damage and Destroy’ Democratic Party."
Other comments he made:
On Bernie running as a democrat: “We need to remember that Bernie Sanders is not a Democrat,” Payne told PolitickerNJ. “Everyone has a right to run for president in this country but he should have run as an independent as he has been for the past 30 years rather than using the Democratic Party in order to gain traction in his campaign.”
On Sanders supporting Hillary Clinton if she wins the primary: “It is incumbent upon him, if he is going to do this properly, that once the decision is made by the voters in the Democratic primaries that he comes together and says he is supporting the nominee so lets see what happens,” Payne said. “If he doesn’t do that then the whole thing was a sham. I feel very strongly about it. It is really beginning to annoy me that he has turned out the be this divisive and it is not right.”
On Hillary Clinton winning the general election: “Last time I checked, she is leading in the popular vote. I believe and I am confident that she will win the Electoral College and she will have the popular vote. She is heads above either candidate,” said Payne, referring to both Sanders and presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump.
Savannah Brown, a 16 year old teenager from Elizabeth NJ has been missing since March 13, 2016.
Savannah is black, 5'10'' and 143 pounds. She has black hair and brown eyes.
Anyone with information about Savannah should call the Elizabeth Police Department at 908-558-2000 or the New Jersey State Police Missing Persons Unit at 800-709-7090.
[SOURCE] Bonnie Watson Coleman will become the first African-American female member of New Jersey's congressional delegation in state history.
The Democratic state Assemblywoman from Mercer County beat Republican Alieta Eck, a doctor, to win the open seat in central Jersey's 12th District in the U.S. House of Representatives, according to the Associated Press.
