OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna will endorse maverick Republican Sen. John McCain for president on Friday.

McCain, a frequent visitor to the West's second-largest state, was scheduled to give a major foreign policy address Friday in Seattle and planned private meetings with local backers and potential supporters.

Although state GOP Chairman Luke Esser said none of the party's main three White House hopefuls has front-runner status here, McCain is viewed as having the strongest organization so far, including backers who helped his strong showing in his 2000 primary against George W. Bush.

The Arizona senator will announce McKenna's backing. McKenna, a moderate who is considered a rising star in the state party, is one of three statewide GOP officials.

"John McCain is an impressive leader with a record of public service that's beyond reproach," McKenna said. "He understands the difficult challenges our country faces. He has the experience and fortitude to bring people together for solutions we need."

McCain, in a statement from his exploratory campaign office in Arlington, Va., said the backing of state leaders like the attorney general is significant.

"In order to have a meaningful discussion with voters about the choices and challenges ahead, it's important for me to have thoughtful leaders like Rob on my team," he said. "He's a respected public servant and his knowledge of important issues in the state of Washington is going to be invaluable to our effort."

Neither of the other two statewide Republicans, Secretary of State Sam Reed and Land Commissioner Doug Sutherland, both moderates, has endorsed any candidate for president. Reed said that as chief elections officer, he doesn't plan to endorse anyone.

Sutherland said he's amazed how early the race has begun, and is far from picking a favorite.

"Oh, gosh, I will watch with great interest. This is going to be so much fun to watch. I think the main thing I will be watching for is consistency."

Esser, the party chairman, said McCain has the organizational edge so far, but that party activists haven't shown a clear favorite yet. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former New York Mayor Rudy Guiliani have made appearances here and are starting to get organized, he said.

"I think McCain got started earlier and has better organizational support at this point, by far," Reed said.

Former Secretary of State Ralph Munro, a longtime backer of the senator's, said McCain is moving quickly to assemble a local campaign team that includes some big names, as well as veteran campaign experts.

He said McCain retains a core of supporters from his 2000 campaign and from return visits.

McCain finished second to Bush in the Republican primary here in 2000, and on an unaffiliated ballot that listed all candidates, Republican and Democratic, the senator was by far the strongest, with over 40 percent of the total vote.

The state has both a primary and party caucuses.

"The real goal right now is to capture as much delegate strength as we can," Munro said in an interview Thursday. "We're trying to build a wide-ranging team, from very conservative folks to the more moderate ones."