Rep. Mark Critz announced today that he had received the endorsement of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) in his primary bid against fellow incumbent Jason Altmire in the new 12th Congressional district.

“Mark Critz is fighting in Congress to protect and create jobs for working Pennsylvanians,” AFSCME  Council 12 Executive Director David Fillman said. “AFSCME proudly endorses Mark Critz for Congress because he has always been there when working men and women needed him.”

“AFSCME’s endorsement means a great deal to me personally and is a major boost to my campaign,” Critz said in a statement announcing the endorsement. “We are receiving the overwhelming majority of labor support in this race because they know that working men and women can count on me to fight for jobs and stand up for the middle class by supporting policies that benefit the 99% of Americans – not just the wealthy.”

AFSCME Council 13 has 65,000 members in Pennsylvania.  It is the fifteenth labor group to endorse Critz’s campaign, which recently purchased between $500-600K in television advertising.

His opponent, Jason Altmire, nearly swept the endorsements of the county committees in the district (of those who endorse candidates).  Internal polling also shows a double-digit lead for Altmire, who currently represents nearly two-thirds of the new district.