Gov. Jon Corzine has chosen northern New Jersey state Sen. Loretta Weinberg as his running mate, two Democratic officials close to the governor said Friday.

Weinberg emerged as the top contender for the lieutenant governor spot after weeks of deliberation, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the governor is expected to announce his selection Saturday.

Weinberg, a feisty 74-year-old from Teaneck, gained a reputation for independence after taking on a powerful faction of her own party in Bergen County.

"She is a hard-hitting advocate on ethics and good on policy for New Jersey for a long, long time," said Sen. Ray Lesniak of Union. "She'll make a great candidate."

Also in the running were state Sen. Barbara Buono of Edison and reality TV star Randal Pinkett of Franklin Township.

Weinberg could help the Corzine win vital votes in Bergen County. Her ethics reform legislation may also help win support for the governor after 44 people, including mayors and assemblymen, were rounded up in a federal corruption sweep Thursday.

Newark Mayor Cory Booker, who might be interested in a future run for governor, was among those who endorsed Weinberg for the post after turning it down himself.

The Star-Ledger of Newark first reported Corzine's choice on its Web site Friday.

The Nov. 3 election is the first in which a lieutenant governor will be on the ballot. The governor and his running mate are elected as a team.

GOP challenger Chris Christie picked Monmouth County Sheriff Kim Guadagno as his running mate.

Weinberg, who is Jewish, is described by colleagues as a liberal Democrat and outspoken advocate for women and health care issues. She chairs New Jersey's Legislative Oversight panel and has sponsored legislation on providing $20 million for autism research and requiring insurance companies to pay for 48 hours of health care for women and their newborns, and for mammograms for women under 40.

She became a state senator in 2005 after taking on Bergen County leader Joseph Ferriero to win a bitterly contested intraparty battle for the open Senate seat. Corzine famously took her side in that battle. Weinberg served in the Assembly for more than a decade.

Ferriero was later indicted on federal corruption charges; his trial is scheduled to begin in the fall. Christie, a former U.S. attorney, filed the charges against Ferriero.

Weinberg, a widow, learned late last year she had lost about $1.3 million, her entire nest egg, to disgraced Wall Street investor Bernard Madoff.

Despite the setback, Weinberg said at the time she was better off than many as long as she could continue to work. She makes $49,000 a year as a state lawmaker.

She has two children and two grandchildren.