EXCLUSIVE -- Pelosi To Endorse Capuano

The Michael Capuano campaign confirms for me that US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will formally endorse Michael Capuano for US Senate, while she is in town Friday for a talk at Harvard.

Capuano is considered a top Pelosi lieutenant -- he headed her transition team when the Democrats took the majority in 2006 and made her Speaker.

Nevertheless, it was unknown whether Pelosi would publicly endorse Capuano, against a woman opponent. Pelosi has been a strong advocate of increasing the number of women in elected office; Martha Coakley would be only the 18th woman in the current US Senate if elected.

According to the campaign, Pelosi will hold a press conference at 11:30 Friday morning, at the Omni Parker House in Boston, to announce the endorsement. Pelosi will be in town to speak at a forum at the Harvard Kennedy School later that day.