The field of Democrats vying to succeed retiring Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman totals 17 candidates. Matt Adams, a lifelong Middlesex resident and former two-term borough councilman, is one of them.
Adams announced in late January that he would seek New Jersey’s 12th congressional district seat. His campaign is about to kick into high gear. This week, he will meet with Mercer County Democrats to seek their endorsement. A pitch to the Middlesex County Democratic Organization will take place in early March.
The sprawling 12th District comprises Middlesex Borough and 13 other Middlesex County towns, 10 in Somerset County, seven more in Mercer, and Plainfield in Union County.
Adams, 60, is a familiar name to Middlesex Borough residents. He has been active with American Legion John W. Lupu Memorial Post 306, is a former member of the town’s Parks Improvement Committee and been involved in other local initiatives. He was elected to the Borough Council in 1995 and served two terms. Adams plans to retire from his job in the defense industry in late March, and devote the ensuing two months to his bid to win the Democratic NJ12 primary on June 2.
Adams retired as a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve’s Judge Advocate General Corps, wrapping up a 30-year military career in 2015. That included time in the New Jersey Army National Guard, the Individual Ready Reserve, and 14 years as a JAG officer in the Army Reserve.
His resume, Adams believes, makes him well-suited to serve the 12th District in Washington, D.C. He’s familiar with federal regulations and the appropriations process.
“I understand the federal government better than all the other people who are running,” Adams said during an interview with Inside – Middlesex. “The rule of law is being threatened. The executive branch has extended its authority. The legislative branch needs to claw it back.”
No surprise, Adams’ stance on a range of issue varies greatly from those of Republican President Donald Trump and the GOP-controlled U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.
Adams would advocate for stringent conflict-of-interest rules across all branches of government. He would cut the budget of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which he calls “an occupying force in our nation’s cities.”
Using his military experience, Adams would cut defense spending and redirect the funding to social services. He would advocate for veterans and the special needs population and seek responsible AI regulation.
Adams sees affordability and the Gateway Tunnel project as two particularly important issues.
Congress has “powers of the purse,” he noted, and can put money back in the pockets of working Americans with tax code changes. Adams favors the creation of tax-advantaged savings accounts for young couples who are looking to buy their first home. Similar accounts will be launched this summer to promote investment for children under age 18.
Trump recently stalled funding for the tunnel project until releasing it under a federal court order. The project will construct a new rail tunnel connecting New Jersey and Manhattan and rehabilitate another existing tunnel. Its goal is to relieve congestion that plagues commuters.
The project may eventually lead to all-day direct rail service to New York City via the Raritan Valley Line, which runs through Bound Brook. If so, Adams sees easy access to the Big Apple as a boon to Middlesex Borough home values.
Clearly, Adams is a Middlesex guy, but also has ties elsewhere in the 12th District. He’s held jobs in neighboring Somerset County and is president of the Board of Trustees of The Arc Foundation of Somerset County.
With such a large candidate field, Adams realizes the need to stand out from the pack. He has a website, mattadamsforcongress.com, and will soon launch outreach via email blasts and text messaging.
Adams intends to run a 5K in each of the 12th District’s 32 towns this spring in an attempt to connect with primary voters. Adams lived on Fairview Avenue in Middlesex with his parents during his youth, and jokes that he “grew up on the green bridge” in nearby Victor Crowell Park.
He attended local schools and fondly remembers his elementary years at Pierce School, which once existed on Walnut Street but was torn down in the 1980s. Homes now site on the site.
“I stayed in Middlesex to make it better and Central Jersey better,” Adams said of his decision to remain in his hometown. “I can do even more in Congress.”
Adams is seeking campaign volunteers. Anyone interested can email him at matthew@mattadamsforcongress.com.
Inside - Middlesex 
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