Latest poll: Gregoire 52 percent, Rossi 41 percent

A couple of surprises today: The sun came out and a new poll showed Gov. Chris Gregoire leading Republican Dino Rossi by 11 points, 52 percent to 41 percent.

Rasmussen Reports conducted the survey of 500 likely voters May 12.

From the company:

The re-election prospects for Washington Governor Christine Gregoire (D) have improved significantly over the past two months..

Interesting to note Gregoire’s favorables are higher than Rossi’s and her unfavorables are lower than his. You can bet her brain trust is happy about that.

Gregoire is now viewed favorably by 55% of the state’s voters while Rossi is viewed favorably by 49%. For Gregoire, that represents a two-point gain from the previous survey while Rossi’s figure is down two points, according to the press release.

You can read the whole release here.