Assemblyman John Wisniewski, a Democratic gubernatorial candidate who has pledged to be New Jersey’s first “transportation governor,” also wants to create the state’s first single-payer healthcare system.

In a meeting with the editorial board of The Record on Tuesday, Wisniewski, who is perhaps best known for spearheading the investigation into the Bridgegate scandal, said that such a system — often referred to as "Medicare for all" — would cover all New Jersey residents. He said such a system would drive down the cost of insurance by creating a 15 to 20 percent savings on administrative costs and allowing the state to negotiate lower prices for prescription drugs.

“When you create a single-payer healthcare system where everybody who’s in New Jersey gets healthcare…you create an incentive for people to be in New Jersey, for businesses to locate in New Jersey, to hire New Jersey employees,” Wisniewski said.

Single-payer healthcare systems have long been elusive goals for progressives in America, but Wisniewski said the proposal has extra urgency today given the ongoing attempt at the federal level to dismantle the Affordable Care Act.

He also said that New Jersey would be at a competitive disadvantage if it didn’t act soon. Despite skepticism over costs, the New York Assembly passed a single-payer healthcare bill last week and the California Legislature is considering a bill to eliminate health insurance companies and provide government-funded healthcare for all.

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders proposed a single-payer system on a national scale last year during his bid to become the Democratic candidate for president. Wisniewski served as the New Jersey chair for the Sanders campaign.

In a conversation that lasted more than an hour, Wisniewski also laid out his ambitious agenda that includes:

Fully funding the existing school funding formula

Increasing the minimum wage to $15 an hour

Providing free tuition at public colleges and universities to students whose households make less than $125,000

Increasing funding for NJ Transit

Reforming the Port Authority

Wisniewski also said a constitutional amendment is needed to fund the state’s public employee pension system on a long-term basis.

“We need to create that long-term obligation because right now it’s year-to-year,” he said. “It’s Groundhog Day every time we put together a budget.”

Wisniewski said he could generate roughly $2.8 billion in new revenue to pay for his proposals by reintroducing a tax on millionaires ($1.1 billion), closing corporate tax loopholes ($300 million), reversing the repeal of the estate tax ($600 million), restoring the sales tax from 6.875 percent to 7 percent ($600 million) and legalizing and imposing a 25 percent tax on marijuana ($300 million).

Pushed on whether he thought New Jersey residents had the will or ability to absorb those tax increases, Wisniewski distinguished them from broad-based tax hikes.

“They’re old taxes that we mistakenly gave away and these are taxes that are going to be assessed in some cases on the wealthiest New Jerseyans,” he said. “We need to have a progressive tax structure in New Jersey.”

He also criticized Republican Gov. Chris Christie and fellow lawmakers for agreeing last year to “give away” an estimated $1.4 billion in annual revenues as part of a deal to raise the state’s gas tax by 23 cents. He linked that decision to news last week that the state is facing a projected budget shortfall of $527 million near the end of the current fiscal year.

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“We have a revenue shortfall about six months after we voted to give away revenue, and we’re surprised?” said Wisniewski, who voted against the gas-tax deal. “I’m not. This is part of the hypocrisy of state government.”

Wisniewski is facing an uphill battle in his quest to win the June 6 primary. According to a Quinnipiac poll published earlier this month, he had the support of just 5 percent of the registered Democrats surveyed, compared to 26 percent for Phil Murphy, a former Goldman Sachs executive and ambassador to Germany; 7 percent for Jim Johnson, a former U.S. Treasury official; and 4 percent for Sen. Raymond Lesniak, D-Union.

Murphy also has the backing every county Democratic committee in the state.

But Wisniewski, who has to give up the Assembly seat he has held for 21 years in order to run for governor, called the idea that county bosses can dictate the outcome of a primary “old news,” particularly in light of the way social media can help candidates communicate directly with voters.

“It’s not a quixotic run,” he said.

Email: pugliese@northjersey.com