The University of Hawaii Professional Assembly on Tuesday endorsed Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s re-election campaign.

The union, which represents about 4,000 university faculty, had also supported Abercrombie four years ago.

“Gov. Abercrombie has always supported education,” David Duffy, the union’s president, said in a statement. “He has been in our shoes so he understands our issues. He’s gotten us through the recent rough times and we know he’ll continue to lay the educational foundation for Hawaii’s future generations to prosper.”

Abercrombie,a one-time teaching assistant at UH, is facing state Sen. David Ige in the Democratic primary.