INDIANAPOLIS | The Indiana State AFL-CIO executive board officially endorsed Jill Long Thompson for governor Friday, her campaign announced.

"We are proud to give our full support to Jill Long Thompson in her campaign for governor," Indiana AFL-CIO President Ken Zeller said in a prepared statement issued by the campaign. "She has a long record of standing up for working families. Her experience and commitment to growing the economy and creating good-paying jobs for all Hoosiers will help put Indiana back on track.

"For too long, Governor Daniels has ignored the loss of jobs around our state, and turned his back to working people - and that needs to change," added Zeller. "The choice is incredibly clear for working men and women across this state. Hoosier families cannot afford four more years of Mitch Daniels' administration. The AFL-CIO will do everything we can to elect Jill Long Thompson as our next governor."

The Indiana State American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations is a federation of 800 local unions in Indiana belonging to 50 international unions.

"I'm grateful for the support of the Indiana AFL-CIO, and the hard-working members of their unions," Long Thompson said in the prepared statement. "Together, we will work to rebuild Indiana's economy, fight to protect good-paying jobs from leaving Indiana and we will work to attract new jobs that can support Hoosier families."

Unions that have previously endorsed Long Thompson include the United Steelworkers, the Service Employee International Union, Communication Workers of America, the American Federation of Government Employees, the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, the United Transportation Union, five Teamster locals, the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, Indiana International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers and Local 446 of Association of Federal, State, County and Municipal Employees.

The Democrat will face Republican incumbent Daniels on the ballot in November.