Jon Corzine Endorsed for Governor by New Jersey State AFL-CIO

Delegates at the New Jersey State AFL-CIO Legislative/COPE Endorsement Conference offered key endorsements for the 2009 election and for the national AFL-CIO presidency.

Atlantic City – “In the race for Governor,” announced New Jersey State AFL-CIO President, Charles Wowkanech, “the endorsement of the state’s largest labor organization goes to Governor Jon Corzine.” That same day, conference delegates offered endorsements to a full slate of Assembly candidates and 64 rank-and-file union members seeking office through the New Jersey State AFL-CIO Labor Candidates Program. The success of the Labor Candidates Program is unsurpassed nationally, and to date 551 union members have been elected to public office through this comprehensive political program.

“In leading our state forward, working families will need a partner, and Governor Corzine has proven to be a strong ally of workers and their unions over the years. There is tremendous budget pressure right now, but Governor Corzine is the leader who will get New Jersey’s economy back on track,” said President Wowkanech. “We have made many landmark accomplishments working alongside Governor Corzine, and with this year’s extraordinary list of endorsed legislative candidates, we will be ready to fulfill our vision for New Jersey and ensure a prosperous future for New Jersey’s working families.”

At the national level of the labor movement, the New Jersey State AFL-CIO announced its endorsement of Secretary-Treasurer Richard Trumka to succeed President John Sweeny as President of the national AFL-CIO. President Wowkanech stated, “Secretary-Treasurer Trumpka has been like family to the New Jersey Labor movement, and under his leadership the labor movement in New Jersey and across the nation will experience an unprecedented opportunity for growth and innovation.” The conference delegates voted to endorse Secretary-Treasurer Trumka on Tuesday, June 16, 2009.

The 2009 election endorsements were announced on the final day of the New Jersey State AFL-CIO Legislative/COPE Endorsement Conference held in Atlantic City. Over 600 delegates representing 1,000 unions and one million union members in New Jersey participated in the endorsement process.

A complete list of this year’s endorsements is as follows:

District 1
Assembly
Nelson Albano (D) *+
Matthew Milam (D)*

District 2
Assembly
John F. Amodeo (R)*+

District 3
Assembly
John J. Buzichelli (D)*
Celeste M. Riley (D)*

District 4
Assembly
Paul Moriarty (D)*+
William Collins (D)

District 5
Assembly
Joe Roberts (D)*
Angel Fuentes (D)

District 6
Senate
James Beach (D)*

Assembly
Louis D. Greenwald (D)*
Pamela R. Lampitt (D)*

District 7
Assembly
Herb Conaway (D)*
Jack Conners (D)*

District 8
Assembly
Bill Brown (D)
Debbie Sarcone (D)

District 9
Assembly
No Endorsement

District 10
Assembly
No Endorsement

District 11
Assembly
J. Randy Bishop (D)
David P. Rible (R)*

District 12
Assembly
No Endorsement

District 13
Assembly
Robert Brown (D)
Samuel D. Thompson (R)*

District 14
Assembly
Linda R. Greenstein (D)*
Wayne P. DeAngelo (D)*+

District 15
Assembly
Reed Gusciora (D)*
Bonnie Watson-Coleman (D)*

District 16
Assembly
No Endorsement

District 17
Assembly
Joseph V. Egan (D)*+
Upendra J. Chivukula (D)*

District 18
Assembly
Patrick J. Diegnan, Jr. (D)*
Peter J. Barnes (D)*

District 19
Assembly
John S. Wisniewski (D)*
John T. O’Leary (D)

District 20
Assembly
Joseph Cryan (D)*
Annette Quijano (D)*

District 21
Assembly
No Endorsement

District 22
Assembly
Gerald B. Green (D)*
Linda Stender (D)*

District 23
Assembly
No Endorsement
Senate
No Endorsement

District 24Assembly
No Endorsement

District 25
Assembly
Wendy Wright (D)
Rebekah Conroy

District 26
Assembly
Douglas Herbert (D)
Wayne B. Marek (D)

District 27
Assembly
John F. McKeon (D)*
Mila M. Jasey (D)*

District 28
Assembly
Cleopatra G. Tucker (D)*
Ralph R. Caputo (D)*

District 29
Assembly
L. Grace Spencer (D)*
Alberto Coutinho (D)*

District 30
Assembly
Joseph R. Malone, III (R)*
Ronald S. Dancer (R)*

District 31
Assembly
Anthony Chiappone (D)*
Charles Mainor (D)

District 32
Assembly
Joan Quigley (D)*
Vincent Prieto (D)*

District 33
Assembly
Ruben J. Ramos, Jr. (D)*
Caridad Rodrigues (D)*

District 34
Assembly
Thomas P. Giblin (D)*+
Sheila Y. Oliver (D)*

District 35
Assembly
Nellie Pou (D)*
Elease Evans (D)*

District 36
Assembly
Frederick Scalera (D)*
Gary S. Schaer (D)*

District 37
Assembly
Gordon M. Johnson (D)*
Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D)*

District 38
Assembly
Concetta Wagner (D)*
John M. Voss (D)*

District 39
Assembly
Michael J. McCarthy (D)+
John L. Shahdanian, II (D)

District 40
Assembly
John Agostinelli (D)
Mark Bombace (D)

*Incumbent
+Labor Candidate