Democratic Gov. Chris Gregoire was leading by a firm margin in her bid for a second term Tuesday but Republican challenger Dino Rossi was making no moves to concede.
Gregoire was ahead of Rossi 52.8 percent to 47.2 percent. The advantage was large enough for network and local television stations to call the race in her favor.
Just after midnight, Gregoire put out a statement claiming victory.
“Tonight the voters in Washington sent a message that they want a governor who shares their values of providing children health care, protecting the environment and creating jobs,” Gregoire said in the statement. “We have run a ‘One Washington’ campaign and tonight we are seeing the results across the state. I’m honored to be re-elected.”
In Bellevue, Jill Strait, Rossi’s campaign spokeswoman, said it was “ridiculous to call the race with less than half the votes in. I think we’ll see the race tighten up as more votes come in.”
No one forgets the 2004 duel between Gregoire and Rossi.
In that matchup Rossi led on election night and was certified the winner in the first two counts of ballots. Gregoire emerged the winner following a hand recount.
Rossi, who is trying to become the first Republican elected governor since 1980, told supporters at the Hyatt Regency in Bellevue they need to be patient as hundreds of thousands of votes are counted these next few days.
He also urged them to help monitor the tabulating “to make sure we don’t have a repeat of the nonsense of 2004.”
He spoke like a man preparing to move in to the governor’s mansion.
“We have shaken the Olympia establishment to its core. They showed clearly the last few weeks that they are terrified,” Rossi told a cheering crowd. “We need change and I intend to lead that change.”
Early returns showed Gregoire ahead in counties she lost in 2004, most notably Snohomish and Pierce counties.
In Snohomish County, she was leading 56.2 percent to 43.8 percent with 93,574 votes to his 72,833. In Pierce County, her edge was 54.8 percent to 45.2 percent in very early returns.
Gregoire told supporters she is looking forward to having Democratic president-elect Barack Obama in the White House.
“Can you imagine what we can accomplish with Barack Obama as our partner?” she said. “We are going to make the dreams of our children come true.”
She spoke of ensuring every child has medical insurance, seniors can obtain prescription drugs and health care is affordable to all.
Tuesday night brought the curtain down on a $45 million campaign dominated at times by the unprecedented involvement of independent political committees.
Gregoire and Rossi raised a combined $25 million with independent political committees amassing the other $20 million and spending most of it to attack one candidate or the other.
Gregoire endured the greater number of blows from opponents. State campaign finance records show $11.7 million was spent opposing the incumbent governor, most of it by the Building Industry Association of Washington and the Republican Governor’s Association.
Roughly $6.1 million was spent against Rossi, the majority by a coalition of labor groups and the Democratic Governor’s Association.
In Pierce and King counties, the only two counties still with polling places, droves of voters endured long lines and braved cold, rainy weather to participate.
Some people waited up to two hours and those in line when polls were set to close at 8 p.m. were allowed to vote, state election officials said. It’s no surprise this election incited record setting levels of money raising.
This rematch had been four years in the making and everything pointed to another close election.
Opinion polls conducted since 2004 continually showed likely voters mostly decided, leaving the outcome to swing on the choice of a sliver of the electorate comprised of undecided and first-time voters.
Gregoire, 61, campaigned on her tenure the last four years and Rossi, 49, ran against most of what she’s done in that time. She talked of staying the course while he talked of changing the direction completely.
Reporter Jerry Cornfield: 360-352-8623 or jcornfield@heraldnet.com
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