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As Republican Ron Paul’s supporters prepared for a rally Thursday evening in Spokane, Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton dueled for attention from voters in Idaho and the Puget Sound area.

Former Idaho Gov. Cecil Andrus was the latest and arguably most prominent Democrat to endorse Obama, who will stop in the state’s capital Saturday.

Congressional candidates Rand Lewis and Walt Minnick also said they are endorsing Obama, and 19 of the state’s 26 Democratic legislators already have done so.

In Washington, Obama will have U.S. Rep. Adam Smith as a stand-in for the opening of his Spokane campaign office at 4:30 p.m. today in the Hutton Building, 5 S. Washington St. Former presidential candidate and Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry will campaign for Obama today in Seattle and Tacoma.

Clinton will have her surrogates – some of the biggest-name Democrats in the state – busy Saturday. Sen. Maria Cantwell, former Gov. Gary Locke, King County Executive Ron Sims and U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee plan to explain Clinton’s energy plan in Everett, Tacoma and Seattle.

In Spokane, the Clinton campaign will hold caucus training at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at the Washington Education Association offices, 230 E. Montgomery Ave.

Jim Camden