After endorsing Assemblyman Joe Danielsen (D-Franklin Twp) in the primary of his re-election bid, Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman has endorsed his running mate, Assemblyman Kevin Egan (D-New Brunswick).
Egan is running alongside Danielsen in the 17th legislative district, a Middlesex and Somerset district that includes New Brunswick. The pair face a sole primary challenger: Piscataway Board of Education member Loretta Rivers. Rivers is running on the “Democrats for Change” slate with Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, who is backing a slate of Assembly candidates throughout the state.
For months, there was speculation that Danielsen and Egan could face a significant primary challenge, especially as two white men representing a district that’s only 26% white.
Egan’s father, former Assemblyman Joseph Egan, essentially bequeathed the seat to his son in 2023, bypassing a formal primary process.
“Kevin’s important work fighting to protect our seniors and most vulnerable and our working men and women in organized labor while also making sure every child has access to a quality education is a tremendous continuation of the legacy left behind by his father, Joe, who is also my friend and former colleague,” Watson Coleman said in a release. “Kevin has proven himself to be a strong progressive leader at a time when we need it most and I’m proud to endorse him today because I know he is exactly the kind of fighter we need on the frontlines with us in the battles to come.”
Egan praised Watson Coleman’s work in Congress and thanked her for the endorsement.
“I’ve known Bonnie Watson Coleman for many years and the work she has consistently done to stand in the face of adversity and against hate is a true inspiration,” Egan said in a release. “The Congresswoman has been a trailblazer in the Democratic Party and an unwavering voice in defense of our shared Democratic values both in Trenton and in Washington.”
Danielsen has faced ire from some progressives who criticized his sponsorship of a much-maligned OPRA reform bill.
Watson Coleman initially endorsed just Danielsen.
“After reading the publication of my [Joe Danielsen] endorsement yesterday I immediately realized I needed to make sure my enthusiastic support for his running mate, Kevin Egan, was also announced publicly,” she said.
Watson Coleman has also endorsed Newark Mayor Ras Baraka for governor and former Gov. Jim McGreevey for mayor in Jersey City.
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