President Barack Obama this week endorsed Democratic District 30 legislative candidates Kristine Reeves and Mike Pellicciotti, and now a message recorded by the president urging votes for Reeves is hitting the phones of Federal Way residents.

“I am honored to have the support of President Obama in this important election and look forward to continuing to work hard for the support of my neighbors, community members and leaders across the district,” Reeves said Tuesday in a statement.

Pellicciotti confirmed Obama’s endorsement but said his campaign currently isn’t planning on having the president make calls on his behalf.

Reeves is running against Republican Rep. Teri Hickel for the District 30, Position 2, state House of Representatives seat, and Pellicciotti is running against Republican Rep. Linda Kochmar for the District 30, Pos. 1 seat. The two join about 150 state legislative candidates across 20 states endorsed by Obama this election cycle, Politico reported last Sunday, noting that such focus on down-ballot races is a first for his presidency.

Nationally, Democratic groups have bristled at Obama’s tepid engagement in down-ballot races, noting that the party’s state-level numbers have dwindled since his 2009 inauguration. A Politifact analysis in January 2015 found that Democrats had lost 910 seats in state legislatures across the country in Obama’s first five years in office.

The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, the arm of the national Democratic Party that works to win state legislative seats, applauded the president’s move to add national muscle to state elections.

“We are thrilled that President Obama is endorsing our candidates in some of the most competitive races across the country,” said Jessica Post, the executive director of the DLCC, on Wednesday. “His endorsement highlights how crucial state legislative elections are to building on the progress the President has achieved and to continuing to move our nation forward.”