"Gov. Jon S. Corzine's re-election bid received the endorsement Wednesday of a major labor organization whose efforts helped state Democrats win the last two gubernatorial elections.

State AFL-CIO officials said they are standing by Corzine and his support of labor issues, ranging from project labor agreements to family-leave insurance. State AFL-CIO President Charles Wowkanech said Corzine was a clear choice over Republican challenger Chris Christie, whose administration would be a setback for labor by returning to the policies of previous Republican governors.

"We saw that movie," Wowkanech told union members at their convention at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa. "We don't like it. We don't want to see it again."

...Corzine said he wants to protect working families and that a Republican gubernatorial administration guided by the failed policies of former President George W. Bush and a "Bush appointee" won't be good for New Jersey.

..."The Republican Party is gunning for him," Wowkanech said of Corzine. "They want to take him down. You know who they have to come through? Everyone in this room, and they're not going to get him." Corzine said it's "fighting time." "This really is one of the most pivotal moments in the history of our state," he said."