The Democratic field for retiring Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Ewing)’s 12th congressional district has been steadily growing for months, but it could soon get a new contender who would reshuffle the entire contest: Sue Altman.
Altman, who was the Democratic nominee for the neighboring 7th district in 2024 and who now works for Senator Andy Kim, has not made a final decision on joining the race but is seriously considering it, the New Jersey Globe has learned.
If she were to launch a campaign, Altman would bring national connections and fundraising skills that few of her scattered opponents, most of whom have made their careers in local and state politics, can match; she, unlike them, has run for Congress before and knows what it entails. But Altman is also less of a known quantity in the diverse, deep-blue district than many of those other Democrats, and her current home in Lambertville is located a few miles outside the boundaries of the district.
A native of Hunterdon County and a former college basketball star, Altman first became known in state political circles for her work as an activist and rabble-rouser at the New Jersey Working Families Party, where she criticized the state’s Democratic establishment and called for an end to the county line. Relations between her and Democratic power brokers were so bad that, in 2019, she found herself being forcibly dragged out of a State Senate committee hearing by State Police while South Jersey Democratic boss George Norcross looked on.
In 2023, Altman made her first foray into electoral politics by launching a campaign against Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-Westfield), who had just unseated two-term Democratic Rep. Tom Malinowski. While she was viewed skeptically by most of the state’s Democratic leaders at first, she gradually earned their trust, and won both every Democratic convention and the eventual Democratic primary uncontested after boxing out a series of male foes.
Altman also proved to have prolific fundraising abilities, raising more than $6 million in what ultimately became the most expensive House election in New Jersey history. Those skills, and the donor connections she made, would undoubtedly be a major asset in the event she runs for the 12th district, which has not had a huge amount of money flowing into it thus far.
Altman’s 7th district campaign ended up falling a fair bit short, however, losing to Kean 52% to 46%. There are plenty of reasons for that loss, but one thing many Democrats cited was Altman’s past progressive stances and statements, which Kean and the GOP mined for a series of brutal attack ads on taxes and policing.
Those stances, though, may not be much of a liability in a Democratic primary for the 12th district, where most candidates will likely be competing to appear more progressive. (Watson Coleman has been New Jersey’s most progressive member of Congress throughout her tenure, and most of those vying to replace her have said they’d like to continue her legacy.)
After her 7th district loss, Altman joined Kim’s office as the brand-new senator’s state director, giving her a statewide political perch – and close connections to one of the state’s most well-known and well-liked Democrats.
Already in the race for the 12th district are five local elected officials: Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds Jackson (D-Trenton), Somerset County Commissioner Shanel Robinson (D-Franklin), East Windsor Mayor Brad Cohen, Plainfield Mayor Adrian Mapp, and Millstone Mayor Raymond Heck; Assemblywoman Tennille McCoy (D-Hamilton) has filed to run as well, but hasn’t formally entered the race.
Also running are a variety of newcomers, including former Army combat surgeon Adam Hamawy, former Energy Department official Jay Vaingankar, entrepreneur Elijah Dixon, housing policy researcher Iziah Thompson, attorney Squire Servance, community activist Mike Anderson, former West Windsor mayoral candidate Sujit Singh, and fitness studio owner Kyle Little.
