President Barack Obama is finally appearing in an ad for Democrat Scott Murphy in the special Congressional election in upstate New York — the image of Obama, that is.

The Democratic National Committee will begin airing a 30-second TV ad on Murphy’s behalf in the Albany media market Friday. The ad, which will run through Monday, is the national Democratic Party’s strongest attempt yet to link Obama with Murphy in the March 31 special election against state Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco (R). But Obama does not speak in the ad. His image appears briefly next to Murphy early in the spot.

“In the worst recession in a generation, upstate New Yorkers deserve someone with the right skills to represent them in Washington,” a narrator says at the beginning of the ad. “That’s why President Obama is supporting Scott Murphy for Congress.”

The ad goes on to describe Murphy’s work as a venture capitalist creating jobs in upstate New York and says he will be a partner for the president in reviving the nation’s struggling economy.

“For jobs and our future — vote Scott Murphy for Congress this Tuesday,” the narrator says at the close of the ad.

Many political observers were wondering whether the DNC and the Obama administration would become fully engaged in the special election, which according to public and private polls is very close. The Murphy campaign began airing a radio spot with Vice President Joseph Biden on Thursday.