John Scott Wisniewski ( ; born June 28, 1962) is an American attorney and politician. A Democratic, he served in the

New Jersey General Assembly The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature. Since the election of 1967 (1968 session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts f ...

from 1996 to 2018, representing the 19th Legislative District. Wisniewki served as chairman of

Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician and activist who is the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from the state of Vermont. He is the longest-serving independ ...

2016 presidential campaign This national electoral calendar for 2016 lists the national/ federal elections held in 2016 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *7 January: Kiri ...

in New Jersey. He was an unsuccessful candidate for

Governor of New Jersey The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The ...

in the 2017 election, losing the Democratic primary to

Phil Murphy Philip Dunton Murphy (born August 16, 1957) is an American politician, diplomat, and financier serving as the 56th governor of New Jersey since 2018. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he was elected governor i ...

. In 2024, he became a commissioner of the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.

Early life, education, and law career

Wisniewski was born on June 28, 1962, in

Perth Amboy, New Jersey Perth Amboy is a city (New Jersey), city in northeastern Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, within the New York metropolitan area, New York Metro Area. As of the 2020 United States census, the city' ...

. He is of Polish descent, and the son of a factory worker. He attended Sacred Heart Elementary School in

South Amboy South Amboy is a city in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, located on Raritan Bay. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 9,411, an increase of 780 (+9.0%) from the 2010 census count of 8,631, which in ...

and

Sayreville War Memorial High School Sayreville War Memorial High School (SWMHS) is a four-year public high school located in the Parlin section of Sayreville, in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades as the lone seco ...

in nearby

Sayreville, New Jersey Sayreville is a borough in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Sayreville is within the heart of the Raritan Valley region, located on the south banks of the Raritan River, and also located on the Raritan Bay. As of the 2020 Uni ...

. In 1984, he received a

B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...

from

Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...

in English / Economics and was awarded a J.D. from the

Seton Hall University School of Law Seton Hall University School of Law is the law school of Seton Hall University, and is located in downtown Newark, New Jersey. Seton Hall Law is the only private law school in New Jersey. The school confers three law degrees: Juris Doctor, Ma ...

in 1987, where he was a classmate of New Jersey Governor

Chris Christie Christopher James Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician and former United States Attorney, federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. A member of the Republican Party (United States) ...

. Wisniewski is an adjunct professor at

Monmouth University Monmouth University is a private university in West Long Branch, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1933 as Monmouth Junior College, it became Monmouth College in 1956 and Monmouth University in 1995 after receiving its university charter, c ...

. He also owns and runs a general practice law firm, Wisniewski and Associates, L.L.C., based out of Sayreville.

Political career

Before joining the General Assembly, Wisniewski served on the Sayreville Cable Television Advisory Board, the Middlesex County Senior Citizen Housing Task Force, and the Middlesex County Planning Board. He has also served on the Sayreville Board of Education's Building Utilization Committee. Wisniewski currently serves on the board of trustees for the

United Way United Way is an international network of over 1,800 local nonprofit organization, nonprofit fundraising affiliates. Prior to 2015, United Way was the largest nonprofit organization in the United States by donations from the public. Individual Un ...

of Central New Jersey and is an Executive Board Member of the Middlesex County Arts and Education Council.

Legislative career

Democrats statewide saw a net gain of three seats in the Assembly in the 1995 elections, with two of the pickups coming in the 19th District where

Arline Friscia Arline M. Friscia (November 13, 1934 – October 16, 2019) was an American politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1996 to 2004, where she represented the New Jersey's 19th legislative district, 19th Legislative District. O ...

and Wisniewski knocked off the Republican incumbents Stephen A. Mikulak and Ernest L. Oros. In the Assembly, Wisniewski introduced legislation that includes the Work First New Jersey Act, which required individuals to work at jobs or in community services as a condition of their benefits, the Dormitory Safety Act which required the installation of sprinklers in all dormitories, the School Bus Enhanced Safety Inspection Act which created new ways and standards by which a school bus was inspected, and the Athletic Training Licensure Act which required athletic trainers to be licensed. Assemblyman Wisniewski also sponsored the bill that was signed into law which increased the property tax reduction for Veterans and seniors, legislation designed to strengthen

Megan's Law Megan's Law is the name for a federal law (and informal name for similar state laws) in the United States requiring law enforcement authorities to make information available to the public regarding registered sex offenders. Laws were created ...

by keeping sexual predators away from areas where children go to school and play, legislation which required newly constructed elevators in residential buildings to accommodate stretchers, legislation which required the implementation of a fire command structure in mutual aid fires, legislation which required that cell phone use be noted in traffic accidents, legislation that established a penalty for the theft of someone's personal identification information, and legislation which established a scholarship program for the families of the victims of the

September 11 terrorist attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

. On January 27, 2010, Wisniewski was selected to succeed

Joseph Cryan Joseph P. Cryan (born September 1, 1961 in East Orange, New Jersey) is an American Democratic Party politician who has served in the New Jersey Senate since 2018, representing the 20th Legislative District. He previously served in the New Jers ...

as the Chairman of the

New Jersey Democratic State Committee The New Jersey Democratic State Committee (NJDSC) is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of New Jersey. LeRoy J. Jones Jr. is the chair and Peg Schaffer is the vice chair. Its main rival is the New Jersey Republican State C ...

. He was succeeded by John Currie in 2013. In 2011, Wisniewski was the Democratic Co-chair of the 2011

New Jersey Apportionment Commission The New Jersey Apportionment Commission is a constitutionally-created ten-member commission responsible for reapportioning the forty districts of the New Jersey Legislature. The commission is convened after each decennial U.S. Census, and the ...

, the group charged with redrawing the lines for the legislative districts following the 2010 census. Along with State Senator

Loretta Weinberg Loretta Weinberg (born February 6, 1935) is an American Democratic Party politician, who served as a member of the New Jersey Senate from 2005-2022, where she represented the 37th Legislative District. She also served as Senate Majority Leader ...

, Wisniewski played a major role in uncovering the

Fort Lee lane closure scandal The Fort Lee lane closure scandal, better known as Bridgegate, was a political scandal in the U.S. state of New Jersey in 2013 and 2014. It involved a staff member and political appointees of then-governor Chris Christie colluding to create tr ...

. He was a co-chair of the New Jersey Legislative Select Committee on Investigation tasked with investigating the scandal. In 2013, Wisniewski joined the overwhelming majority of his fellow Democratic Party members in Middlesex County in endorsing

Frank Pallone Frank Joseph Pallone Jr. ( ; born October 30, 1951) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 1988. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district, numbered as the 3rd district from 1988 to 1993, ...

, in a special election for U.S. Senate after the death of longtime New Jersey Senator

Frank Lautenberg Frank Raleigh Lautenberg (; January 23, 1924 June 3, 2013) was an American businessman and Democratic Party politician who served as United States Senator from New Jersey from 1982 to 2001, and again from 2003 until his death in 2013. He was ori ...

. He later endorsed the Democratic Party's ultimate nominee,

Cory Booker Cory Anthony Booker (born April 27, 1969) is an American politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from New Jersey, a seat he has held since 2013. A member of the Democ ...

. Each of the forty districts in the New Jersey Legislature has one representative in the

New Jersey Senate The New Jersey Senate is the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. There are 40 legislative districts, representing districts with an average population of 232,225 (2020 figure ...

and two members in the

. The other representatives from the 19th District from the 2012-2013 Legislative Session were: *Senator Joseph Vitale *Assemblyman

Craig Coughlin Craig John Coughlin (born January 31, 1958) is an American Democratic Party politician, who has represented the 19th Legislative District in the New Jersey General Assembly since 2010. He has served as the Speaker of the New Jersey General Ass ...

In August 2015, Wisniewski voted in favor of funding

Planned Parenthood The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. (PPFA), or simply Planned Parenthood, is an American nonprofit organization

in New Jersey, joining prominent New Jersey Democrats, including

Sheila Oliver Sheila Yvette Oliver (July 14, 1952 – August 1, 2023) was an American politician who served as the second lieutenant governor of New Jersey from 2018 until her death in 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, Oliver was the first Black woman ...

and Patrick Diegnan. Wisniewski previously voted five times to outlaw or restrict access to abortion in New Jersey. He has also expressed that he would vote in favor of a gas tax hike only if Governor Christie was going to sign it into law. Wisniewski was reelected in 2015 by a wide margin. He received the endorsement of numerous local newspapers, including the

Home News Tribune The ''Central New Jersey Home News Tribune'' is a daily newspaper serving Middlesex County, New Jersey. The paper has an average daily weekday circulation of about 49,000. The newspaper is the result of the 1995 merger of ''The Home News'' of E ...

, who also endorsed his running mate

and fellow Central Jersey Nancy Pinkin and Diegnan.

Transportation Committee

In the Assembly he has served as the Deputy Speaker since 2004, was the Assistant Majority Leader from 2002 to 2003 and was the Deputy Minority Conference Leader 1998–2001. Wisniewski serves in the Assembly on the Transportation, Public Works and Independent Authorities Committee (as chair) and the Environment and Solid Waste Committee. Since 2000, he has chaired the state Fire Safety Commission.Assemblyman Wisniewski's legislative webpage
,

New Jersey Legislature The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and ...

. Accessed September 12, 2015. In his role as Chairman of the Assembly Transportation Committee, Assemblyman Wisniewski led a fact finding probe into the state's

E-ZPass E-ZPass Interagency Group (E-ZPass Group trade name and E-ZPass product brand) is an electronic toll collection system used on toll roads, toll bridges, and toll tunnels in the eastern half of the United States. The group itself is composed of ...

system. Assemblyman Wisniewski is a prime sponsor of the Motor Vehicle Security and Customer Service Act which was signed into law on January 28, 2003. He was a prime sponsor of A-3392 which would consolidate two of the state's toll road agencies.

"Bridgegate" Fort Lee lane closure scandal investigation

He led the investigation into the

.Matt Arco
Bridgegate crusader Wisniewski announces 2017 run for governor
New Jersey Advance Media for NJ.com (November 15, 2016). He expressed grave skepticism about Christie's claim that he did not know his aides had ordered lanes closed on the

George Washington Bridge The George Washington Bridge is a double-decked suspension bridge spanning the Hudson River, connecting Fort Lee in Bergen County, New Jersey, with the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It is named after George W ...

, and believes that the closures were illegal. He has also said that if Christie is involved, it would be an impeachable offense.

New Jersey Chairman for Bernie Sanders

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

announced on January 4, 2016, that Wisniewski would lead his New Jersey operation in his campaign for the democratic nomination in the

2016 United States presidential election United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 8, 2016. The Republican Party (United States), Republican ticket of businessman Donald Trump and Indiana Governor, Indiana governor Mike P ...

. Wisniewski cited Sanders' efforts to reduce income inequality and take money out of politics as the main reasons for his endorsement. Being the only elected politician in New Jersey to endorse Sanders, Wisniewski was at the forefront of the Senator's campaign in New Jersey, attending mock debates and hosting fundraisers. Clinton won the New Jersey Democratic primary by a two-to-one margin.

2017 gubernatorial campaign

Wisniewski announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for New Jersey governor in the 2017 election in November 2016. The contest between Wisniewski and

attracted attention because the two had supported Sanders and Clinton, respectively, in the preceding year's Democratic presidential primaries. On June 6, 2017, Wisniewski lost the primary election, coming in third place with 21.6% of the vote. Murphy won the nomination with 48.4% of the vote; Wisniewski also finished behind Jim Johnson. Murphy also won every county in New Jersey except for

Salem County Salem County is the westernmost county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Its western boundary is formed by the Delaware River, and it has the eastern terminus of the Delaware Memorial Bridge, which connects the county with New Castle, Delaware. ...

, which Wisniewski won. Wisniewski subsequently supported Murphy in the campaign against Republican nominee

Kim Guadagno Kimberly Ann Guadagno (; ''née'' McFadden; born April 13, 1959) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the first lieutenant governor and 33rd secretary of state of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. Guadagno was the Republican nominee ...

.Dem primary opponents endorse Murphy ... 4 months later
''The Auditor'' (September 30, 2017).

Post-Assembly career

In 2024, Wisniewski reentered government as a commissioner of the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, being named to the seat by Assembly speaker and former running mate

. His appointment did not require Senate confirmation.

Personal life

He is married to Deborah (née McLaughlin) and has three daughters. They currently reside in Sayreville.Assembly Member John S. Wisniewski

Project Vote Smart Vote Smart, formerly called Project Vote Smart, is an American non-profit, non-partisan research organization that collects and distributes information on candidates for public office in the United States. It covers candidates and elected offic ...

. Accessed August 12, 2007.

References

External links

*
Assemblyman Wisniewski's legislative webpage
,

*''New Jersey Legislature financial disclosure forms''
2016201520142013201220112010200920082007200620052004

Assembly Member John S. Wisniewski

New Jersey Voter Information Website 2003
(defunct)

(now for campaign)
Official Governor campaign websiteWisniewski's video announcing his run for Governor
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Wisniewski, John S. 1962 births Living people 20th-century American lawyers 21st-century American lawyers American politicians of Polish descent Candidates in the 2017 United States elections Chairmen of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee Democratic Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly Lawyers from Middlesex County, New Jersey People from Sayreville, New Jersey Politicians from Perth Amboy, New Jersey Rutgers University alumni Sayreville War Memorial High School alumni Seton Hall University School of Law alumni 21st-century members of the New Jersey Legislature 20th-century members of the New Jersey Legislature