In her bid to become Assembly Speaker, Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Ewing) has the strong backing of the leader of her home county Democratic organization.

"Allow me to jump in with my wholehearted support for favorite-daughter candidate Bonnie Watson Coleman for the Speaker's position in the New Jersey Assembly if current Speaker Roberts announces that he will not seek another term," Mercer County Democratic Chairman Richard McClellan said in an e-mail to PolitickerNJ.com. 

McClellan called Watson Coleman, the current Majority leader and a former Democratic State Chair, a " tireless and energizing leader for the causes that Democrats and the citizens of this state hold most dear."

"She is an effective bridge between the northern and southern wings of our party and is universally respected among her peers and among party leaders," said McClellan.  "Eschewing any other adjectives which others might chose to apply regarding her race and gender, I support Assemblywoman Watson Coleman for this position because she is simply the best person for the job. End of story."