WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Cory Booker has joined a potential rival for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination in introducing legislation to hold down drug prices.

The measures, co-sponsored by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and other House and Senate Democrats, would allow imports of lower-cost drugs with proper safety precautions, make prescription drugs prices comparable to those in other major countries, and allow the government to negotiate for lower prices under the Medicare Part D prescription drug program.

“We have an industry right now that has ben able to stop the government from negotiating fairer prices,” Booker, D-N.J,, said at a Capitol press conference. “Everything that we’re seeing right now that’s jacking up prices should be unacceptable.”

The bill introduction follows an election in which the cost of prescription drugs was a major issue, including in New Jersey’s U.S. Senate race. Booker has received lots of donations from New Jersey pharmaceutical companies, but has been critical of them in recent years. He also worked to lower drug prices for poor residents of Newark while mayor.

Booker and other lawmakers at the press conference told stories of constituents who couldn’t afford the price of the drugs they needed to stay alive.

“This should be an issue of Americans' right to quality health care,” Booker said. “There are too many people in the state of New Jersey who have made the awful decision of putting aside life-saving prescription drugs because they cost too much.”

Lawmakers also said they hoped that President Donald Trump, who has pledged to lower prescription drug prices, would join them, and that the new House Democratic majority would pass the bills and help put pressure on the Republican-controlled Senate to follow suit.

“I say to President Trump, ‘Support our legislation and get your Republican colleagues on board,’” Sanders said.

Any legislation would have to overcome the opposition of the drug industry. Its Washington-based trade group, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, spent $21.8 million to lobby during the first nine months of 2018, the third-highest spender, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a Washington-based interest group.

Drug industry employees and executives made $36.6 million in campaign contributions for the 2018 elections, more than the $27.6 million donated by the defense industry

Phrma spokeswoman Nicole Longo said the proposals “would wreak havoc on the U.S. health care system."

“They would interfere with patient access to medicine, while also undermining the U.S. intellectual property system, replicating the flawed policies of foreign governments and circumventing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s robust safety standards,” Longo said.

The issue proved potent in 2018. Almost six of every 10 campaign ads after Labor Day in support of House Democratic candidates mentioned health care, many of them focusing specifically on prescription drugs, according to the Wesleyan Media Project, which tracks political advertising.

In addition, health care was the No. 1 topic on the minds of New Jersey voters, according to a pre-election Monmouth University poll. Former Celgene Corp. executive Bob Hugin, the Republican running against Democratic incumbent U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, was attacked repeatedly over the high cost of his former company’s cancer drug, Revlimid, and wound up losing the election by almost 11 percentage points.

High drug prices promise to be an important topic of discussion in the next election, where both Booker and Sanders are listed among strongest candidates to be the Democrats' 2020 standard-bearer.

“Anyone who wants to be successful in 2020 is going to have to address this issue,” said U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., another co-sponsor of the drug pricing legislation

Booker represents a state that houses several drug companies, and their executives, employees and political action committees have financially supported his Senate campaigns. Booker has received $424,450 for his Senate races, his 10th biggest source of industry contributions, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

That hasn’t stopped him from criticizing the industry. He issued a report in April showing that none of the 10 biggest pharmaceutical companies planned to use their savings from the Republican tax law to lower prices.

The previous year, he first joined Sanders in March 2017 and introduced legislation allowing drug imports with proper safety precautions. They teamed up after Booker opposed Sanders' amendment to the 2017 budget resolution, which allowed Republicans to repeal the Affordable Care Act without worrying about a Senate filibuster or needing to negotiate with Democrats.

Sanders' motion failed after 13 Democrats, including Booker and Menendez, voted no. Booker said the measure did not guarantee the safety of the imported drugs. Politifact called the amendment more “symbolic than substantive,” since the resolution was non-binding.

Nevertheless, Booker’s vote didn’t sit well with some progressives. Then-Assemblyman John Wisniewski, D-Middlesex, who led Sanders’ New Jersey presidential campaign operation, called it “profoundly disappointing" and “inexplicable.”

Booker acted last February to defuse attacks about his support from drug companies. He announced via Twitter that he no longer would accept any corporate political action committee contributions. He also has sworn off campaign donations from pharmaceutical company executives.

“It’s something we need to do with our politics as a nation to get this awful corrupting money out of our politics,” Booker said at the Capitol press conference.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.