* AP…

Former President Barack Obama is endorsing Democrat J.B. Pritzker for Illinois governor. He’s also backing Kwame Raoul for attorney general and three Illinois Democrats looking to unseat GOP congressmen.

Obama announced his first midterm endorsements Wednesday and said he expects to campaign for several of them this fall.

The three Democratic U.S. House candidates Obama endorsed are Sean Casten, who’s running against Rep. Peter Roskam; Brendan Kelly, who’s challenging Rep. Mike Bost and Lauren Underwood, who’s trying to unseat Rep. Randy Hultgren.

* One reason Pritzker needs even totally expected endorsements like this is because he’s still a relatively unknown quantity, even after a katrillion dollars in TV ads. His favorability is also low, so he could use as many boosts as he can get…

* From Sen. Raoul…

I sincerely appreciate the endorsement of my predecessor in the Illinois Senate and a great president, Barack Obama. We have lived in the same neighborhood, represented the same communities and worked to address many of the same challenges. His confidence is meaningful to me as I seek to continue my advocacy as Attorney General.

Obama endorsed several state legislative candidates in other states today, but none here. Also, nothing for comptroller and treasurer here.