New Jersey gubernatorial candidate John Wisniewski addressed a packed room of Sussex County Democrats as Wednesday’s general committee meeting in Newton.

Assemblyman Wisniewski spoke to the group for about an hour, and stayed much later to meet and speak individually with the many people who attended the event. “I’ve met with Democrats in this very room in years’ past, but I’ve never seen a crowd this large”, he remarked. “If we're going to grow the Party in New Jersey, it won’t be in Essex County or Middlesex Counties, we're going to grow the Democratic Party right here, in places like Sussex County."

Wisniewski was proud to share his vision for the state if he were elected governor this year. Among his goals:

Expanding Medicare for all in New Jersey, stating that healthcare is a right, not a privilege

Making tuition free at state colleges for families earning less than $125,000 a year

Filling the many open state government positions in charge of enforcing environmental regulation, left vacant by current governor Chris Christie

Updating voting laws to make it easier to vote

A $15/hour minimum wage

He fielded many questions from the group. One attendee asked why Governor Christie was able to enact such a strongly conservative agenda in a state where the Democrats control both the Assembly and the Senate. He explained that as the elected Republicans vote in a block to support Christie’s proposals, there remain a number of Democratic legislators who vote with the Republicans to enact his agenda. That underscores the importance of the upcoming election in November of this year, not only to select a new governor, but also electing representatives for Sussex County in the Assembly and Senate.