President Barack Obama touched down in Seattle this morning for a whirlwind endorsement effort for Sen. Patty Murray's re-election campaign.
Murray is on today's open primary election ballot in Washington, pitting her against 14 other candidates including top-seeded Republican Dino Rossi, bottle cap entrepreneur Paul Akers, and former NFL player Clint Didier, who has won the endorsement of Tea Party icon Sarah Palin.
The top two winners of those four will advance to the November General Election regardless of political party; Murray is expected to make it onto the ballot.
In a season where other incumbents have made headlines by quietly avoiding public appearances with the president, Murray this week held a Facebook prize drawing for two free passes to a Democratic Party luncheon fundraiser with Obama, followed by a $10,000-a-plate dinner hosted by Rob Glaser, founder of RealNetworks.
Even as Air Force One touched down at Sea-Tac and officials began closing down the northbound lane of Interstate 5, Seattle-area bloggers and television stations tweeted his progress breathlessly.
The president's first stop was to be a Pioneer Square roundtable talk about job creation among small business owners, according to the Seattle Times.
Find out where to drop off your ballot at your local county elections office.