CHULAK: John Wisniewski is just what New Jersey needs
Looking back on the election cycle when the Democrats failed to recapture the majority in both chambers of Congress and lost the White House to a millionaire real estate tycoon, President Donald J. Trump, it is clear that the party needs to be significantly restructured. If the party wants to regain the faith of the American people, new leadership needs to step up and steer the party’s focus away from the donors and toward grassroots organizing. The working class of the country needs to be involved in the political process. Presidential and congressional elections are important, but it is imperative that all citizens participate in local and state elections as well. New Jersey will be making a key decision on Nov. 7 when the state will elect a candidate to replace Gov. Chris Christie (R-N.J.), who has been in office for seven years now and only has an 18 percent approval rating to show for it. Needless to say, the Democratic nominee will have a great opportunity to occupy the New Jersey State House in 2018.
The race for the Democratic nominee is coming down to an intense primary battle with Assemblyman John Wisniewski (D-N.J.), former U.S. Ambassador Philip D. Murphy and Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-N.J.) leading the way. With Trump in the White House, New Jersey needs to elect a governor who has a proven history of standing up to political insiders and fighting for progressive values. Wisniewski presents a clear solution to the corruption and greed that has plagued Trenton, New Jersey for years. Wisniewski, a Rutgers alum, was born and raised in the Garden State and has served in the General Assembly for 21 years. As the chair of the Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee, he has cosponsored bills to fight corruption at the Port Authority and fought against Gov. Jon Corzine’s (D-N.J.) efforts to privatize the New Jersey Turnpike. But what Wisniewski is best known for is the prominent role he played in the "Bridgegate" investigation. Despite party leaders discouraging him from pursuing an investigation into the illegal lane closures on the George Washington Bridge, Wisniewski uncovered the infamous “time for traffic problems in Fort Lee” email and exposed the political retribution tactics of Christie. Wisniewski has shown that he will not back down when faced with adversity and will fight for what he believes in. This was demonstrated when he endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) as the Democratic nominee for president and served as the New Jersey chair of the campaign despite the New Jersey Democratic leadership’s overwhelming support of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
The candidate who will present the greatest challenge to Wisniewski’s run for governor comes in the form of Philip D. Murphy, a former Goldman Sachs executive and National Finance Chair of the Democratic National Committee. After boosting his name recognition with his organization New Way for New Jersey, Murphy declared his intent to run last May and kick-started his campaign with a $10 million loan of his own money. As Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J) and Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) endorsed Murphy, other Democratic leaders quickly fell in line and offered their support. Murphy has made the economy a focus of his campaign and promised that he does not owe anything to the special interests. But if Democrats truly want to create an economy that works for all, a governor who has shown he’s not afraid to take on the special interests needs to be elected.
Wisniewski has shown that he will fight for the working class of New Jersey and will be a voice for those who have been silenced. In the State Assembly, Wisniewski has sponsored legislation to raise the minimum wage and recently helped pass a resolution to protect New Jersey’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) students from deportation. Wisniewski, who is running on a platform similar to that of Sanders, has voiced his support for universal single-payer health care, free tuition for students coming from households with an annual income of $125,000 or less and an energy infrastructure designed to mitigate a climate emergency.
Wisniewski recognizes the growing threats that face New Jersey and that the politics of yesterday will not solve the problems of today. Many lessons can be taken from the humbling election defeat in 2016, but the main message is that many voters feels disenfranchised and disconnected from their elected representatives. New Jersey voters need a governor that is not beholden to the financial elite or the politically powerful and is willing to take a stand to reduce corruption and wealth inequality. John Wisniewski will bring a determined, progressive perspective to Trenton, while also representing a pragmatic negotiator that will act in the interest of all people of New Jersey. Now more than ever, we need an experienced leader who has shown he is willing to fight for us, and Wisniewski fits the description.
Daniel Chulak is a School of Environmental and Biological Sciences junior majoring in environmental and business economics with a minor in German. His column, "The Hard Truth," runs on alternate Tuesdays.
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