Andrew Wyrich

Staff Writer | @AndrewWyrich

John Wisniewski, a Democratic Assemblyman from Middlesex County, announced this morning that he will run to succeed Republican Chris Christie as governor of New Jersey.

He is competing for the Democratic nomination with Phil Murphy, who announced his candidacy earlier this year and has secured a number of high-profile endorsements in recent months.

In an email to supporters, Wisniewski, an attorney from Sayreville in Middlesex County, said that the middle class in New Jersey was “under siege” and that he would push polices that benefit all New Jerseyans.

“I believe it’s time we have policies that work for everyone in our state, not just the wealthy and well-connected,” Wisniewski said.

Wisniewski, who has served in the Assembly since 1996, is well known for co-chairing the legislative inquiry into "Bridgegate" with Sen. Loretta Weinberg, D-Teaneck. As head of the Assembly's transportation committee, he oversaw the legislative inquiry into the scandal, which led to several of Christie's aides being tried and convicted on conspiracy charges in federal court.

During the 2016 presidential campaign, Wisniewski served as the chairman of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders' campaign efforts in New Jersey.

Wisniewski – who also asked for campaign contributions in the email – seemed to distance himself from Murphy by hinting at his opponent’s connections to Wall Street.

Murphy is a former Goldman Sachs executive who also served as an ambassador to Germany for President Obama from 2009 to 2013.

“I’m not a Wall Street executive,” Wisniewski said in the email. “I haven't made hundreds of millions of dollars by outsourcing jobs. I've learned the value of public service. I've spent 21 years in the state Assembly fighting entrenched special interests that want to run New Jersey for themselves.”

Murphy's campaign manager, Brendan Gill, said: "We welcome John to the race. We will continue to make our case directly with the people that New Jersey needs a governor who is not part of our failed pay-to-play politics and whose sole focus is on what's best for the next generation, not using public office for personal gain. Very simply, John Wisniewski is a transactional Trenton politician, he is far from a reformer.”

While Wisniewski and Murphy will seek the Democratic nomination to run for governor, it had been expected that Senate President Stephen Sweeney would seek to replace Christie. However, in October Sweeney announced he would not run, citing Murphy's wave of endorsements as a reason for not entering the race.

Republican Jack Ciattarelli has also announced he will run for governor. Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno is also widely expected to run.

Email: wyrich@northjersey.com Twitter: @AndrewWyrich