Former Vice President Joe Biden visited Edison Thursday to attend a campaign event for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Phil Murphy.

Biden said that this is the Democratic Party’s most important race. He said that he knows that Democrats like Murphy sometimes get the reputation as big spenders. But he says that he believes that the investment is worth it.

“If you’re on a game show and you’re saying, ‘What states are the ones that have the most corruption and the most problems,’ you’re going to hear Illinois and New Jersey, but you can change it,” Biden said.

The former vice president has been around the country in the last few months to support Democrats in state and local races.

Biden said that the New Jersey gubernatorial race is important because the Democratic Party is hoping for another Democratic governor. Biden frames the race as a chance to take more power from the Trump administration. He says that governors are now being called to step up and take action on issues like health care and the environment as the federal government withdraws support.

“There’s a reason why [President Donald] Trump is at 37 percent in New Jersey. There's a reason why my guy’s ahead in the polls. People are sick and tired. They want to raise the standard,” Biden said.

“On the one hand, we're focused laser-like on getting our state fixed,” Murphy said. “But on the other hand, we cannot be silent in the face of what's going on in Washington.”

Biden also praised Murphy's idea to offer free community college educations to New Jersey residents.

Murphy's Republican opponent Lt. Gov Kim Guadagno panned his education proposal and said that it would amount to billions of dollars in tax increases.

She also responded to Biden’s visit in a statement, "Joe Biden says that paying higher taxes is 'patriotic.' well, if Phil Murphy becomes governor, we'll be the most patriotic state in the country."

Biden also visited Rutgers University to discuss the topic of sexual assault on college campuses.