With the PolitickerWA.com Wake-Up Call e-mailed to your inbox, phone, Blackberry or PDA first thing in the morning, you can get a rundown of Washington's top political headlines. Sign up to get the Wake-Up Call delivered every morning.

McDermott goes for O
Rep. Jim McDermott on Thursday became the fourth U.S. House member from Washington to endorse Barack Obama for president.

The Seattle congressman said Obama is his pick because "I am confident as president he will end the war in Iraq and bring our sons and daughters home."

McDermott has represented Seattle for 19 years and is one of the more liberal voices in the Democrats' House caucus. He is the last House member from this state to declare his support for a presidential candidate.

McDermott joins at least five other Washington superdelegates who have endorsed Obama in the race for the Democratic nomination: Gov. Chris Gregoire; Reps. Rick Larsen, Adam Smith and Brian Baird; and Pat Notter, a member of the Democratic National Committee. (Post-Intelligencer)

Dicks, Inslee stand firm
As Sen. Barack Obama continues to gain superdelegates in his run to clinch the Democratic presidential nomination, both of Kitsap County's Democratic superdelegates continue to support Sen. Hillary Clinton.

U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee, D-Bainbridge Island, was an early Clinton supporter and remains so, a spokeswoman said. He announced his endorsement in June 2007 and was named the campaign's co-chairman of the Energy and Environmental Task Force.

U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Belfair, on the other hand, held out his endorsement long after it was clear former Vice President Al Gore was not entering the race. Clinton received the nod from Dicks the day she campaigned in Seattle, Feb. 7. (Steven Gardner, Kitsap Sun)

Washington’s reaction to California ruling
The California state Supreme Court ruled today that gay couples can enter into marriage and you can read all about it here.

The developments are being watched here in Washington, where gay couples were allowed to begin entering into domestic partnerships just last year. Gay rights advocates continue to press changes to state law allowing same sex couples to enter into marriage. And the Legislature may be taking it up sooner rather than later.

Sen. Ed Murray, a Seattle Democrat and head of the Legislature’s informal gay caucus, said “this is a historic day – the goal of marriage is now closer than ever for same-sex couples in California. Here in our own state, we remain hopeful that our efforts to build a way to marriage through domestic partnerships will continue to win the support of lawmakers and citizens." (Chris Mulick, Tri-City Herald)

Sutherland touts bipartisan ties
Washington's State Commissioner of Public Lands, Republican Doug Sutherland, formally began his campaign on Tuesday with events in Bellevue and Spokane sandwiched around the time he spent with John McCain. Now that he is fully on board, he is already touting his bipartisan support.

Sutherland sent out a press release highlighting the endorsements of Republican and Democratic leaders from across the state in the legislature and beyond. (Bryan Bissell, PolitickerWA.com)

Who is that guy?
Sen. Rosemary McAuliffe, D-Bothell, has drawn an election year challenge and it’s from none other than Bothell Republican Dennis Richter.

Who’s that? Wish I could tell you. But I can’t find much on the guy. (Mulick, Tri-City Herald)

Pesticide panelist steps aside
Gov. Chris Gregoire's controversial appointment of a scientist affiliated with Dow Chemical to a state panel that tracks pesticide exposures ended Thursday with the researcher resigning before his first meeting.

The appointment riled farmworker advocates, who accused the governor of bowing to industry by kicking off an environmentalist-leaning scientist who previously held the position. Gregoire's office said she stands by her action and won't be tapping the green-leaning toxicologist for another term on the Pesticide Incident Reporting and Tracking Review Panel.

The resigning scientist, Charles Timchalk, who previously worked for Dow for 10 years and has continued to do research for the company, said his resignation was prompted by rancor over his appointment and a lack of clear communication from the Gregoire administration as the controversy erupted. (Robert McClure, Post-Intelligencer)

With the PolitickerWA.com Wake-Up Call e-mailed to your inbox, phone, Blackberry or PDA first thing in the morning, you can get a rundown of Washington's top political headlines. Sign up to get the Wake-Up Call delivered every morning.