KOMO 4/Seattle P-I Poll: The Race For Governor

KOMO 4/Seattle P-I Poll: The Race For Governor »Play Video
SEATTLE - After the primary, Attorney General Christine Gregoire appeared the picture of optimism. She had easily defeated all Democratic challengers and the Republic winner Dino Rossi was still largely an unknown.

That's changed.

With just six days to go before the election, Gregoire, who had not seen the latest numbers said: "I'm not overly confident. I always new this was going to be a tight race. You know, Dino is a good salesman. So I've fought for every vote and I'm going to continue fighting until 8 p.m. Tuesday."

She's right, the race is tight. Statewide: Gregoire 48% Rossi 43%. Possible margin of error is 3.5 percent.

Rossi is beaming. He told KOMO 4 News from the Tri-Cities: "Our polling shows we not only have pulled up close, but we have started to nudge ahead."

That could be true, and Seattle may be why. The state's most liberal city, in the state's most liberal county, the political canard is "win King County, and Pierce County, you win."

The KOMO 4/Seattle P-I poll shows in King County that Gregoire is at 46 percent, Rossi 44 percent.

That's enough to chill any Democrat's blood and to give a Republican hope.

Pierce County and Snohomish county shows signs of canceling each other out. That may be why the political parties are throwing gobs of money into last minute attack ads.

Gregoire calls the ads disturbing: "I hate negative ads, I hate negative campaigns. But I am not going to allow anyone to run a negative campaign against me and fail to respond."

But Rossi shrugs off the negativism: "I don't worry about the things they say about me, because I know who I am and where I'm going and I know why I'm going there."

Both candidates plans whirlwind tour of the state by election day. The race. It's close and there are still thousands of undecideds.

State elections officials say 25 percent of all absentees ballots have already been returned. That may help Gregoire, her poll standing, reportedly, was significantly higher a few weeks ago.

The Poll

This poll has a margin of error of 3.5%

QUESTION: If the election for Governor were held today, would you vote for Christine Gregoire, the Democrat, Dino Rossi, the Republican, or one of the other party candidates? 

 

  GREGOIRE ROSSI OTHERS  UNDECIDED
STATEWIDE 48%  43%  2%  7%
         
REGION        
King County   46% 44% 3% 7%
Snohomish County  38% 53% - 9%
Pierce County 54% 36% 1% 9%
Western Wash. 53% 39% 3% 5%
Eastern Wash. 44% 48% 1% 7%
SEX        
Men 45% 47% 2% 6%
Women 51% 39% 2% 8%
AGE        
18-34 45% 41% 3% 11%
35-49 45% 47% 1% 7%
50-64      51% 40% 2% 7% 

65+

48% 45% 3% 4%
PARTY         
Democrats 88% 5% 3% 4%
Republicans 3% 91% 1% 5%
Independents  45% 41% 3% 11%