Local Range steelworkers really, really like Rep. Tom Rukavina, DFL-Virginia.

Today, his gubernatorial campaign announced he'd picked up the endorsement from United Steelworkers Local 6860, made up of 415 taconite workers. It's his fifth endorsement from a local steelworkers union. The locals tend to have a few hundred members.

From the campaign:

"Tom has fought hard for the values we hold dear. He has long been a champion for organized labor and steelworkers in particular," noted Local 6860 President John Motley. "He understands the importance of fostering and preserving good paying jobs and impact they have on communities here in northeastern Minnesota and throughout the state."

"Furthermore, he passionately cares about issues that impact all workers like healthcare and workplace safety," added Motley. Rep. Rukavina has been a leading advocate for a thorough study of the unusually high occurrence of mesothelioma, a type of lung cancer, found in miners from northeastern Minnesota."

"As a member of the United Steelworkers and a former miner, I have a first-hand appreciation of challenges these men and women face every day. It is important that we retain these jobs here in Minnesota. As Governor, I will work tirelessly to create more high-paying blue collar jobs here in Minnesota, address the high cost of healthcare so that the workforce can receive higher wages and companies can retain more employees and always prioritize workplace safety."

According to Unions.org there are ten United Steelworkers of America locals in Minnesota.