With the caucuses in Washington state coming up on Saturday February 9, Sen. Kerry is in Seattle today campaigning for Barack Obama. Joining him at events today is Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, who after hoping Gore would get in the race, has decided to endorse Sen. Obama.
From the Seattle PI
Nickels told KIRO Radio he had hoped Al Gore would run again, but now believes that Obama, rather than Hillary Clinton, would be the best person to heal the country.
Mayor Nickels is well-known for his strong environmental record, and has won many awards for his leadership on these issues. According to Wikipedia he is also the Vice President of the National Conference of Democratic Mayors.
Like Obama, Nickels has a Chicago connection. He was also born and lived for the first six years of his life in Chicago, before moving to Seattle.
This is an important endorsement for Obama, considering Washington state's delegates are all chosen by caucus and not primary. Large city mayors often have the political ground-game in place to help a candidate out, so Obama, who is already ahead of all candidates (Republicans and Democrats) in fundraising in Washington state should be helped on Feb 9.
A fired up group of volunteers too are hitting the ground again this weekend in the Emerald City, with plans to canvass and call people to encourage their support of Obama at the caucuses. Here's a link if you're a Washington state resident and need information on democratic caucuses. REMEMBER WASHINGTON STATE PRIMARIES DON'T SELECT ANY DEM DELEGATES.