Kerry to endorse Obama in South Carolina

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, will endorse Sen. Barack Obama in this year's White House race, an Obama campaign spokesman said on Thursday.

Obama spokesman Bill Burton said Obama, who is seeking to become the first black U.S. president, will appear with Kerry in Charleston, South Carolina.

Obama, a first-term senator from Illinois, is hoping the South Carolina contest on January 26 will help him regain front runner status after a narrow loss to Sen. Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire this week.

The endorsement by Kerry, who lost the 2004 election to President George W. Bush, could boost Obama's presidential bid by attracting more support from the Democratic establishment, which has largely supported Clinton, the former first lady and senator from New York.

Obama has been capitalizing on his surprise win in the Iowa caucuses where Clinton came in third in Iowa behind former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards. She won the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday despite polling data that showed she would lose to Obama.

(Reporting by Donna Smith, editing by Lori Santos)