Reverend Charles Boyer and a group of more than two dozen Black clergy leaders from Mercer County are endorsing Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson (D-Trenton) to succeed Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Ewing) in Congress.
Boyer, the pastor of Trenton’s Greater Mt. Zion A.M.E. Church and one of the state’s leading Black ministers, had already strongly telegraphed his support for Reynolds-Jackson – “if Verlina Reynolds-Jackson runs, I’m with Verlina Reynolds-Jackson all the way,” he said the day Watson Coleman announced her retirement – and confirmed that support today.
“I have had the privilege of working alongside Verlina on many initiatives, including health policy that will literally save lives in our community,” Boyer said in a statement. “Her leadership in securing funding for our first birth and wellness center in Trenton proves her commitment to ensuring that every mother and child has access to quality care, regardless of their ZIP code or economic status.”
Watson Coleman was the first Black woman elected to Congress from New Jersey, and Reynolds-Jackson is now hoping to become the third; support from her home county’s Black religious leaders is an early building block of her campaign.
Unlike Watson Coleman’s first Democratic primary victory in 2014, however, Reynolds-Jackson is far from the only Black candidate in the race. Several other Black Democrats are also seeking to succeed Watson Coleman, including established politicians like Somerset County Commissioner Shanel Robinson (D-Franklin) and Plainfield Mayor Adrian Mapp.
Full list of endorsers: Pastor Lois Alexander, Rev. Darrell Armstrong, Pastor Antonio Bellamy, First Lady Diane Bellamy, Rev. Charles Boyer, First Lady Rosalee Boyer, Pastor Mark A. Broach, Rev. Raymond Broach, First Lady Anita Broach, Pastor David Cox, First Lady Keisha Cox, Bishop Ralston Denton, First Lady Stacy Denton, Rev. Russell Fox, Bishop Sidney Gaines, Rev. Shirley Gaines, Pastor Mark Granville, First Lady Deshahn Granville, Rev. Patricia Hall, Rev. John Harris, Rev. Vincent Jackson, Rev. Dr. Nicolle Jean-Simon, Rev. Timothy Jordan, Rev. Ethel McClain-Bryant, Pastor Katherine Nunnally, Rev. Simeon Spencer, First Lady Glynis Spencer, Rev. John R. Taylor, Rev. Darnell Wise, First Lady Shameka Wise.
