BREAKING: Gregoire to appear at Obama's KeyArena rally, will endorse his candidacy

After several weeks of rumors, it appears that what I suggested just a bit ago on AM KPOJ in Portland is now true: sources tell us that Governor Chris Gregoire is endorsing the candidacy of Senator Barack Obama and is scheduled to appear at Obama's midday KeyArena rally in just a few hours.

(We'll be covering the rally live starting at kickoff; check back here for updated coverage of the event, which should be a lot of fun).

UPDATE: Gregoire's statement:

SEATTLE – Democrats in Washington state and across the country are fortunate to have the opportunity to select between two outstanding candidates, either of whom would be a great president. I have decided to endorse Barack Obama as the next president of the United States.

We must restore hope in America. We must put an end to politics of division - by gender, race, and faith. I know Washingtonians are tired of these divisions. They want us to tackle the tough challenges we face, and get result that make their lives better.

Barack Obama has a unique ability to reach across all the artificial divides and divisions to move our nation forward. At a time of great division in our country, we need a leader who will unite us. Barack Obama is that kind of leader.

I was inspired to pursue a career in public service by John F. Kennedy. His presidency heralded the arrival of a new generation of Americans to lead our nation. Like President Kennedy, Barack Obama is inspiring a new generation of young people to get involved. If elected, I believe he will lead us all – young and old, “blue and red” – to create a positive change in our communities, this nation and the world.

Gregoire's decision to back Obama puts her in good company; fellow Democratic governors Janet Napalitanto of Arizona and Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas are also backing Obama. Representative Adam Smith of Washington's 9th District, meanwhile, is already a key figure in the local Obama effort, having signed on early.

The state's two other top Democrats - Senators Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray - are backing Hillary Clinton, though neither is serving as a co chair to the campaign (Jay Inslee, Ron Sims, and Gary Locke are Clinton's Washington co-chairs). While Clinton recently picked up the endorsement of Representative Norm Dicks, Gregoire's decision to support Obama is huge because it gives him another high profile superdelegate from a state where Clinton has been snapping them up.