Obama launching Seattle effort today

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama kicks off his Seattle campaign today at a rally with thousands of paying supporters and a more elite event to keep him among the top candidates collecting Washington money.

The freshman Illinois senator will speak at the WaMu Theater in the Qwest Field Event Center at 5:30 p.m., with as many as 5,000 people expected. Tickets are $25, $50 and $100, depending on seats. Admission is free for those 16 and younger.

Later in the evening, at the Seattle Westin, supporters will pay $2,300 to get close enough to get a photograph taken with the candidate.

Attorney Matthew Bergman is one of the sponsors of the Westin event. Bergman, who is among the most generous Democratic donors from the state, says he thinks Obama will be able to attract support beyond the tight circle of VIP donors who normally attend such events.

"Obama, to me, is someone who can appeal beyond the traditional Democratic base, toward people who have not voted for Democrats for many, many years," Bergman said.

Bergman was a major backer of Sen. John Kerry in the primary race for the 2004 presidential nomination. In that race, the party split largely between backers of Kerry and those of former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean.

This year, the lines are not so clearly drawn. Eight Democratic candidates are actively campaigning, all with at least some local Democrats lining up behind them.

Information

To see Obama in Seattle: http://my.barackobama.com/

seattlekickoff

State Democratic Party Chairman Dwight Pelz says Obama and former Sen. John Edwards are the top-tier candidates here, with New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and New York Sen. Hillary Clinton as the current second tier.

But Walt Waisath Jr., chairman of the 29th District Democrats in South Pierce County, said he knows Democrats backing at least six of the candidates, including dark horse Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich and even darker horse Mike Gravel, a former senator from Alaska.

"A lot of the women are Hillary fans," he said. "But even that's fractured."

The dream team for many, Waisath said, would be Obama and Clinton on the same ticket.

The most recent fundraising reports available online at OpenSecrets.org show that Edwards has collected $244,750 from the state, with Obama raising $211,176. Republican Mitt Romney is the top recipient of state dollars, having raised $271,500.

Bergman says Dean, now chairman of the Democratic National Committee, and Obama share a talent for talking about politics in a way that connects with people disillusioned with the process, particularly young people.

"It's not a Bill Clinton appeal," Bergman said. "It's more like a John F. Kennedy appeal, a generational appeal for someone who isn't still fighting the same cultural wars of the '60s that we've been engaged in for the last 40 years."

David Postman: 360-236-8267 or dpostman@seattletimes.com