Bonnie Watson Coleman Re-Elected To Congress

Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman is projected to win re-election to the 12th Congressional District, according to unofficial results posted by Politico and The Washington Post.

With all precincts reporting, Coleman captured 68.3 percent of the votes, while Kipnis had 31.7 percent of the votes.

Coleman has represented the district, which covers parts of Mercer, Middlesex, Somerset and Union counties, since 2015, when she became the first Black woman elected to represent New Jersey in Congress.

She is the second consecutive Democrat to hold the seat since a string of Republicans were in office from 1967-98. In fact, outside of a few brief terms of office for Democrats, the seat was solidly Republican from 1933-98.

Things didn't change this year, if for no other reason than nearly half of the districts voters (479,778) are registered Democrat (205,104), according to the New State Department of Elections.

The next largest group of voters is unaffiliated, as there are 196,242 voters in that group. There are 74,678 registered Republicans.

RELATED: 2018 Election Results: Vote A Referendum On 'Trump's GOP'

The non-stop pouring rain did not keep voters home in what could be a record turnout midterm election. Even with the various issues facing local communities, President Trump was on their minds.

In one polling location, some shouted out, "Dump Trump!" while others walked in right beside them and excitedly said they think Trump is doing an excellent job.

"We are total Republicans and Trump has done everything right. We're voting for Hugin," said New Jersey resident Lorraine Luzzo, 82, with her husband, Louis.

"The economy is doing well, there are jobs, patriotism is back in our country," she said.

Others had clearly different views

"President Dump, as I call him, is hands-down the worst president we've had in a long time," said New Jersey resident Steve Laspina, 64. "He is ... an embarrassment to our country. I'm embarrassed by his racist policies and what he says."

"I agree!," said a woman walking by. "He is immoral, he's terrible."

Others said they weren't bothered by issues facing the man at the top of the Democratic ticket – Sen. Robert Menendez – who has been dogged by corruption charges for years

"That did bother me, but not as much as I hate Trump," chimed in another Democratic voter, who only wanted to be identified as Nick, 72. "And that doesn't bother me as much as Hugin being a big pharmaceutical executive and making millions off sick cancer patients. And Hugin raised thousands of dollars for Trump in New Jersey. He's a big Trump supporter."

"The corruption charges bother me, but Menendez is the lesser of two evils," said Dominick Rose, 36 who said he's begrudgingly voting for Menendez today. "I didn't like either Hugin or Menendez but you have to pick one."

Michael Alarcon, 42, is a Republican who voted for Trump. He said he will be voting for Hugin today because he thinks Trump has done a good job.

"Liberal Democrats screamed and yelled over the past two years and that's not how you govern. Instead, all that screaming and yelling is what has driven a lot of Republicans out to vote today," he predicted. "I think Trump has done an excellent job on the economy and on immigration."

Alarcon, who is Latino, was educated at Harvard University, works in finance, but declined to give details beyond that, saying readers would just stereotype him as a wealthy Republican.

"I have gotten some pushback from fellow Latinos for supporting Trump. But I think there is a separation in the Latino community between people who just believe what they read on the news and people who fact check it, and find the truth is quite different," he said. "And the media definitely has a purposefully negative attitude towards Trump."

Alarcon said he doesn't think Trump's immigration policies or rhetoric have been racist at all.

"He wants to make sure there is order in our immigration system. He respects people who follow the laws and due process to get into our country," he said. "And he's very correct in acknowledging that people do do things to take advantage, such as child trafficking and smuggling in drugs and guns and criminals. This is not about race at all."

Rose manages a car dealership and voted for Republican George W. Bush ("He was actually my favorite president"), Barack Obama, Trump and Gov. Phil Murphy. He said he would have voted for Bernie Sanders if he had been the candidate against Trump.

"I just try to look at the issues. This is actually the first time I've ever voted in a midterm. But to me, the issues are too important today: Healthcare, legalizing marijuana, which I strongly support, and tax reform," he said. "I think Trump has done a good job so far. But Hugin is not for legalizing marijuana, which I support."

Voters in Mercer and Middlesex counties encountered some early complications, as voting machines were down early in the day, according to nj.com. One such location was Perry L. Drew school in East Windsor, where officials resorted to handing out paper ballots. Some voters left out of frustration, but the machines were replaced by 10:30 a.m.

Coleman made national news over earlier this year during a moment of silence for 10 people killed in a mass shooting in Texas. When members of Congress were observing a moment of silence while in session, Coleman yelled out, "Your moment of silence doesn't save one single solitary life,” and encouraged officials to “Do something.”

She believes in comprehensive background checks for those who wish to buy guns, and banning assault weapons and high capacity ammunition clips altogether.

Coleman says she opposes efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare. She believes the cost of acute care and emergency room visits needs to be reduced. She also believes in defending a woman’s right to choose and looks to affirm access to reproductive health care services, including contraceptives.

She supports pell grants and tuition forgiveness programs that make higher education more affordable. She also believes that while charter schools serve a certain purpose, they should not take the place of the public school system. She supports raising the federal minimum wage and investing in infrastructure to support job growth.

Kipnis is one of 13 Jewish Republicans who ran nationwide in an effort to unseat incumbents in Congress, according to the Cleveland Jewish News. He was vocal in his support of the Trump Administration’s decision to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.

As an attorney, he specializes in immigration, and says he supports a path to citizenship for DACA recipients and other immigrants. He also seeks expanded opportunities for all immigrants while securing the borders.

He believes education should be left up to towns and local school boards, and would vote to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education, using block grants for local school districts instead. He supports student loan forgiveness for those who can prove they truly need it, while lowering the costs of higher education and educating parents and students on all education prospects, including vocational and technical schools.

He also said he would advocate for the state to get as much federal tax money to help improve infrastructure in the state as possible.

For more on each candidate in the race, click on the links below:
Bonnie Watson Coleman
Daryl Kipnis

Patch Editor Carly Baldwin contributed to this report

Attached image via the Bonnie Watson Coleman for Congress Campaign