Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) announced his endorsement for Sen. Barack Obama for president yesterday. McDermott represents Washington’s 7th Congressional District, which includes the UW.

In his endorsement, McDermott expressed great respect for Sen. Hillary Clinton but said he believes supporting Obama would place the Democratic Party in the strongest possible place to win in November.

“Barack Obama won the race in my home state by an overwhelming margin, and I am thankful that so many new voters have become engaged because of the kind of campaign he has run,” he said.

The Young Democrats of the UW have already endorsed Obama. During the past few months, many students wrote personal letters to the congressman asking for his support of Obama, said Max Wagner, the former president of the UW’s Young Democrats. The current president, Alex Lark, couldn’t be reached for comment.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if [the Young Democrats’ endorsement] affected his decision,” Wagner said. “A lot of UW Democrats are strong Obama supporters.”

As recently as Tuesday, McDermott’s position was still undecided.

“The rest of the country isn’t catching up to that idea, that [the nominee selection process] makes the country stronger,” Mike DeCesare, McDermott’s communications director, said on Tuesday.

Wagner agrees that the long democratic process is good for the party.

“Every new state we go to as part of the primary process, we’re registering thousands of new voters in each state,” he said. “That will definitely be helpful in November.”

Obama has now been endorsed by approximately 290 superdelegates, 133 shy of the Democratic nomination, according to a press release sent out Thursday by the Obama campaign.