(Newser)
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New Jersey's Democrats have picked somebody for the David-vs.-Goliath task of taking on the man polls show is the country's most popular governor—and possibly its most popular Republican. State Sen. Barbara Buono has won the support of the Democratic Governors' Association and state Democratic groups, making her the presumptive nominee to face Chris Christie in the November election, the Courier Post reports. Newark Mayor Cory Booker has decided to explore a Senate run instead of challenging Christie.
"I was always confident the party would come together," Buono says. "This election is too important—it's about having someone who stands up for working New Jerseyans and the working poor who have been forgotten by this governor." But she faces a mammoth task: Christie's popularity soared after his widely praised response to Hurricane Sandy and he is way ahead in fundraising. His war chest will swell further when Mark Zuckerberg hosts a fundraiser for him next month.
