Democrats Debate Housing and Affordability in NJ-12 Race

Thirteen Democrats want the same congressional seat. Good luck keeping track.

The race to replace retiring Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman in the 12th Congressional District got loud Monday night when 11 of those candidates crowded onto a stage at Princeton University for a debate hosted by students. Watson Coleman, who’s served six terms, is stepping down, and the June 2 primary is shaping up to be one of the most chaotic Democratic contests the state has seen in years.

The event was organized by the American Whig-Cliosophic Society, the university’s NAACP chapter, and Vote100. The moderators were students, and it showed, in the best way. Questions zeroed in on campus protest rights, undocumented students facing federal immigration enforcement at schools, young voter turnout, and the brutal math of housing costs that keep twentysomethings bunking with their parents well into adulthood. Not the usual Trenton-flavored policy back-and-forth. These kids came ready.

Ninety minutes, eight questions, eleven candidates. A mess, frankly. Organizers joked they could barely fit everyone on stage, with candidates seated in two rows. That’s not a debate, that’s a class photo with a podium.

The housing and affordability questions hit hardest. Student debt and the high cost of living across Central Jersey and the broader region have made the dream of independent adult life feel genuinely out of reach for a lot of people under 35. Candidates were asked directly how they’d address it at the federal level. Answers varied, though the debate format made it nearly impossible for anyone to get deep into the weeds.

Still, the most memorable moment came from an audience question that cut right through the noise: if you couldn’t vote for yourself, who on that stage would you vote for? Most candidates dodged it. Some said they were simply the best choice. Others went the diplomatic route and praised everyone. Not exactly a ringing endorsement of anyone.

Two candidates skipped the whole thing. Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson and East Brunswick Mayor Brad Cohen were both no-shows. No explanation given in the room. Worth watching whether that absence gets raised on the trail.

On the Republican side, attorney Gregg Mele is running unopposed in the GOP primary. So while Democrats spend the spring sorting out who among 13 people gets to move forward, Mele is already looking ahead to November.

Early voting in the primary starts May 26 and runs six days, with primary day itself on June 2. That’s less than seven weeks away. The 12th District covers parts of Mercer, Middlesex, Hunterdon, and Somerset counties, meaning candidates are running across a wide geographic stretch of Central Jersey with very different local concerns.

Reporting from NJ Monitor has been tracking the full candidate field closely, including a forum held just days earlier at First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens in Somerset.

Among the candidates who did show up Monday: Matt Adams, Sue Altman, Elijah Dixon, and Adam Hamawy, along with seven others. The June primary calendar doesn’t give anyone much room to waste. With a field this size, name recognition and ground game matter more than one debate performance.

Thirteen people want this seat. Only one gets it.