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New Jersey's 12th congressional district

U.S. House district for New Jersey

U.S. House district for New Jersey

FieldValue
stateNew Jersey
district number12
image name
image captionInteractive map of district boundaries since January 3, 2023
representativeBonnie Watson Coleman
partyDemocratic
residenceEwing Township
percent urban97.6
percent rural2.4
population808,427
population year2024
median income$117,099
percent white39.8
percent hispanic21.5
percent black15.6
percent asian19.4
percent more than one race2.8
percent other race0.8
cpviD+13

| percent more than one race = 2.8

New Jersey's 12th congressional district is represented by Democrat Bonnie Watson Coleman, who has served in Congress since 2015. The district is known for its research centers and educational institutions such as Princeton University, Rider University, The College of New Jersey, Institute for Advanced Study, Johnson & Johnson and Bristol-Myers Squibb. The district is primarily suburban in character, covering portions of Mercer, Somerset, Union, and Middlesex counties, although the district contains the state capital of Trenton as well as the smaller city of Plainfield.

History

The 12th congressional district (together with the 11th district) was created starting with the 63rd United States Congress in 1913, based on redistricting following the 1910 United States census. In 1925, Mary Teresa Norton was elected to the district and became the first female Democrat in the United States Congress.

Historically, the 12th and its predecessors had been a swing district. However, redistricting following the 2000 United States census gave the district a somewhat bluer hue than its predecessor. It absorbed most of Trenton, along with a number of other municipalities. Since then, the 12th has become a Democratic-leaning district, as measured by the Cook PVI. |author-link=Michael Barone (pundit) |author2-link=Richard E. Cohen

The redistricting made second-term Democrat Rush D. Holt Jr. considerably more secure; he had narrowly defeated freshman Republican Michael Pappas in 1998, and had only held on to his seat against Dick Zimmer who represented the district from 1991 to 1997, by 651 votes in 2000. In 2002, despite an expensive challenge from former New Jersey Secretary of State Buster Soaries, Holt was re-elected with 61% of the vote.

The district became even more Democratic after redistricting following the 2010 census, as it lost its share of Republican-leaning Hunterdon County and Monmouth County, while being pushed further into strongly Democratic Middlesex County and gaining the overwhelmingly Democratic Union County town of Plainfield, as well as the portion of Trenton that it had not absorbed in the previous redistricting. Holt retired in 2014 and was succeeded by State Assembly Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Coleman, making her the first African-American woman elected to Congress from New Jersey.

Counties and municipalities in the district

For the 118th and successive Congresses (based on redistricting following the 2020 census), the district contains all or portions of four counties and 32 municipalities.

Mercer County (7) :Ewing Township, Hopewell, Hopewell Township, Pennington, Princeton, Trenton, West Windsor

Middlesex County (14) :Cranbury, Dunellen, East Brunswick, Helmetta, Jamesburg, Middlesex, Milltown, Monroe Township, North Brunswick, Old Bridge Township (part, also 6th; includes Brownville and Old Bridge CDP), Plainsboro Township, South Brunswick, South River, Spotswood

Somerset County (10) :Bound Brook, Bridgewater Township (part, also in 7th), Hillsborough Township (part, also in 7th; includes Blackwells Mills, Hillsborough CDP, and part of Belle Mead and Flagtown), Franklin Township, Manville, Millstone, Montgomery Township, North Plainfield, Rocky Hill, South Bound Brook

Union County (1) :Plainfield

Recent election results from statewide races

YearOfficeResults
2008PresidentObama 65% - 34%
2012PresidentObama 66% - 34%
2016PresidentClinton 64% - 33%
2017GovernorMurphy 61% - 36%
2018SenateMenendez 62% - 35%
2020PresidentBiden 67% - 32%
SenateBooker 65% - 33%
2021GovernorMurphy 61% - 38%
2024PresidentHarris 61% - 37%
SenateKim 62% - 35%
2025GovernorSherrill 67% - 32%

List of members representing the district

Member
(District Home)PartyYearsCong
ressElectoral historyCounties/Towns
District established March 4, 1913
[[File:James A. Hamill (New Jersey Congressman).jpg100px]]
James A. Hamill
(Jersey City)DemocraticnowrapMarch 4, 1913 –
March 3, 1921Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1912.
Re-elected in 1914.
Re-elected in 1916.
Re-elected in 1918.
Retired.1913–1933
Parts of Jersey City
[[File:CharlesFXOBrien.jpg100px]]
Charles F. X. O'Brien
(Jersey City)DemocraticnowrapMarch 4, 1921 –
March 3, 1925Elected in 1920.
Re-elected in 1922.
Retired to become registrar of records of Hudson County.
[[File:Mary Teresa Norton cph.3b14795.jpg100px]]
Mary Teresa Norton
(Jersey City)DemocraticnowrapMarch 4, 1925 –
March 3, 1933Elected in 1924.
Re-elected in 1926.
Re-elected in 1928.
Re-elected in 1930.
Redistricted to the .
[[File:FrederickRLehlbach.jpg100px]]
Frederick R. Lehlbach
(Newark)RepublicannowrapMarch 4, 1933 –
January 3, 1937Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1932.
Re-elected in 1934.
Lost re-election.1933–1967
Parts of Essex
[[File:Frank W. Towey (New Jersey Congressman) 2.jpg100px]]
Frank William Towey Jr.
(Caldwell)DemocraticnowrapJanuary 3, 1937 –
January 3, 1939Elected in 1936.
Lost re-election.
[[File:KEANROBERTWIN.jpg100px]]
Robert Kean
(Livingston)RepublicannowrapJanuary 3, 1939 –
January 3, 1959Elected in 1938.
Re-elected in 1940.
Re-elected in 1942.
Re-elected in 1944.
Re-elected in 1946.
Re-elected in 1948.
Re-elected in 1950.
Re-elected in 1952.
Re-elected in 1954.
Re-elected in 1956.
Retired to run for U.S. senator.
[[File:George M. Wallhauser.jpg100px]]
George M. Wallhauser
(Maplewood)RepublicannowrapJanuary 3, 1959 –
January 3, 1965Elected in 1958.
Re-elected in 1960.
Re-elected in 1962.
Retired.
[[File:Paul J. Krebs.jpg100px]]
Paul J. Krebs
(Livingston)DemocraticnowrapJanuary 3, 1965 –
January 3, 1967Elected in 1964.
Retired.
[[File:Florence Dwyer.jpg100px]]
Florence P. Dwyer
(Elizabeth)RepublicannowrapJanuary 3, 1967 –
January 3, 1973Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1966.
Re-elected in 1968.
Re-elected in 1970.
Retired.1967–1973
Parts of Essex and Union
[[File:Matthew J. Rinaldo.jpg100px]]
Matthew John Rinaldo
(Union Township)RepublicannowrapJanuary 3, 1973 –
January 3, 1983Elected in 1972.
Re-elected in 1974.
Re-elected in 1976.
Re-elected in 1978.
Re-elected in 1980.
Redistricted to the .1973–1983
Parts of Union
[[File:Jim Courter.jpg100px]]
Jim Courter
(Hackettstown)RepublicanJanuary 3, 1983 –
January 3, 1991Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1982.
Re-elected in 1984.
Re-elected in 1986.
Re-elected in 1988.
Retired.1983–1985
Parts of Hunterdon, Morris, Somerset, Sussex, Union, and Warren
1985–1993
Hunterdon and parts of Mercer (Princeton and West Windsor),
Middlesex, Morris, Somerset, Sussex, and Warren
[[File:Richard Alan Zimmer portrait (cropped).gif100px]]
Dick Zimmer
(Delaware)RepublicanJanuary 3, 1991 –
January 3, 1997Elected in 1990.
Re-elected in 1992.
Re-elected in 1994.
Retired to run for U.S. senator.
1993–2003
Parts of Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, and Somerset
[[File:MichaelJamesPappas.jpg100px]]
Mike Pappas
(Rocky Hill)RepublicannowrapJanuary 3, 1997 –
January 3, 1999Elected in 1996.
Lost re-election.
[[File:Rep Holt Official Headshot.jpg100px]]
Rush D. Holt Jr.
(Hopewell Township)DemocraticJanuary 3, 1999 –
January 3, 2015Elected in 1998.
Re-elected in 2000.
Re-elected in 2002.
Re-elected in 2004.
Re-elected in 2006.
Re-elected in 2008.
Re-elected in 2010.
Re-elected in 2012.
Retired.
2003–2013
[[File:NJ12congressdistrict.gif322x322pxNJ12congressdistrict]]
2013–2023
[[File:New Jersey's 12th congressional district (2013).svg100px]]
Mercer (except Hamilton and Robbinsville), Middlesex (Cranbury, Dunellen, East Brunswick, Helmetta, Jamesburg, Middlesex, Milltown, Monroe, North Brunswick, Plainsboro, South Brunswick, South River, and Spotswood), Somerset (Bound Brook, Franklin Township, Manville and South Bound Brook), and Union (Fanwood, Plainfield, and part of Scotch Plains)
[[File:Bonnie Watson Coleman.jpg100px]]
Bonnie Watson Coleman
(Ewing Township)DemocraticJanuary 3, 2015 –
presentElected in 2014.
Re-elected in 2016.
Re-elected in 2018.
Re-elected in 2020.
Re-elected in 2022.
Re-elected in 2024.
Retiring at the end of term.
2023–present:
[[File:New Jersey's 12th congressional district (since 2023) (new version).svg300px]]
Parts of Mercer, Middlesex, Somerset, and Union (Plainfield)

Recent election results

2012

2014

2016

2018

2020

2022

2024

References

References

  1. "My Congressional District".
  2. "2025 Cook PVI℠: District Map and List (119th Congress)".
  3. (November 6, 1924). "Jersey Woman for Congress: Mrs. Norton, First From East, Bowls Over Three Men". [[Press of Atlantic City]].
  4. [https://www.njredistrictingcommission.org/documents/2021/Data2021/Plan%20Components.pdf], [[New Jersey Redistricting Commission]], December 23, 2021. Accessed January 8, 2023.
  5. "DRA 2020".
  6. "21st Century Pres elections in NJ - Google Spreadsheets".
  7. "Election Results Archive". NJ Department of State.
  8. (December 2, 2014). "Election Information". NJ Department of State.
  9. (November 8, 2016). "Election Information". NJ Department of State.
  10. Johnson, Cheryl L.. (February 28, 2019). "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 6, 2018". [[Clerk of the United States House of Representatives.
  11. "Official General Election Results: U.S. House of Representatives".
  12. "2022 Official General Election Results: U.S. House of Representatives".
  13. "Candidates for House of Representatives for GENERAL ELECTION 11/05/2024".
Info: Wikipedia Source

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