Dino Rossi Takes Lead In Gov's Race

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By By KOMO Staff & News Services

Summary

A full week after the election, Rossi closed the gap and then passed Gregoire by 2,123 votes Tuesday.

Story Published: Nov 9, 2004 at 3:27 PM PDT

Story Updated: Aug 31, 2006 at 1:36 AM PDT

Dino Rossi Takes Lead In Gov's Race
OLYMPIA - Republican Dino Rossi has pulled ahead of his Democratic rival for governor, Christine Gregoire, and announced a transition team to prepare for his possible ascent to power.

A full week after the election, Rossi closed the gap and then passed Gregoire by 2,123 votes Tuesday. Despite his bold talk of a transition team, Rossi conceded that no one will know the winner for days.

Gregoire, 57, the three-term attorney general, also has a transition effort under way, but said it's premature to talk about it before all the votes are counted. State Democratic Chairman Paul Berendt called Rossi's announcement presumptuous and inappropriate.

The election ended in a virtual dead heat last on Election Day and neither candidate has pulled away as hundreds of thousands of mail ballots have been tallied.

Tuesday was a good day for Rossi, since it included new tallies from 15 counties that he carried election night and no new updates from the counties Gregoire is carrying, including populous King County.

As the day wore on, Gregoire's lead of about 8,700 evaporated. By 5 p.m., Rossi drew within 203 votes, and on the next count, went ahead by 1,718.

The results surprised neither campaign. Both sides have said the race probably will go on until the final rush of provisional ballots are counted next Wednesday. A recount is automatic if the gap is less than 2,000 votes.

Rossi, 45, the former state Senate budget chairman and a real estate investor, was the first to publicly talk about putting together a transition team. But he insisted that he's just getting ready, not presuming victory or sending any aggressive signals.

"It's prudent, that's all," he said in an interview. "One thing you can't get back is time. We've already lost a week and it could be Thanksgiving or longer until we know for sure, and they won't be moving the inauguration date.

"I have no idea if I will win or my opponent will. I'm reasonably optimistic, and hopefully there is something to prepare for. I assume she's doing the same thing."

He appointed an 18-member transition team of business and government allies, including Spokane Mayor Jim West, former Democratic gubernatorial candidate and Seattle Mayor Wes Uhlman, campaign backers and corporate leaders.

He picked a close adviser, former state Rep. J. Vander Stoep, a Chehalis attorney, to head the transition. Former Senate Majority Leader Dan McDonald, a former Senate budget chairman, would head Rossi's budget team.

Rossi's campaign director, Afton Swift, and adviser John Giese would work on administration personnel. Jim Troyer, chief of staff for Senate Republicans, would be legislative director, and Mary Lane would be communications chief.

"During the campaign, I promised to bring change to Olympia and I promised to be governor for the entire state of Washington," he said at a news conference in Bellevue. "If I become governor, that's exactly what I will do."

Gregoire continued to watch returns out of the public eye, but said she's working on transition plans, too.

"I have been quietly working on my transition plans since election day," she said in a statement released by her campaign. "I am avoiding any public discussion of them until the ballots are certified, because I don't want to overshadow the ongoing vote count.

"Right now, we're focused on making sure every vote is counted."

Berendt was more pointed.

"He can posture all he wants, but it won't change a single vote. ... Chris Gregoire is going to be Washington's next governor. Dino can work on his transition plans, as Chris has, but there's no need to hold a press conference and talk about it. It's nothing but game-playing."

Rossi gained from votes in Asotin, Benton, Chelan, Clallam, Douglas, Grant, Island, Kitsap, Kittitas, Lincoln, Pierce, Skagit, Stevens, Walla Walla and Yakima counties.

Gregoire is carrying eight of the state's 39 counties: Cowlitz, Grays Harbor, Jefferson, King, Pacific, San Juan, Thurston and Whatcom.

An estimated 150,000 votes remain to be counted, about 46,000 of them in King County, a Gregoire stronghold. The counties must certify their results by Nov. 17. A recount is possible.

Including the votes cast for Libertarian nominee Ruth Bennett, over 2.6 million ballots have been counted.

The tally stood at 1,286,534 votes for Rossi, 1,284,411 for Gregoire, and 57,242 for Bennett.

Both Gregoire's and Rossi's campaigns said they remain optimistic, but can only wait for the numbers of come in.

The race probably will hinge on about 80,000 or 90,000 provisional ballots, which included challenged registrations and ballots cast away from the voter's home precinct, said state elections official John Pearson.

The remaining absentee votes should tend to favor Rossi, but the provisional ballots are unpredictably, though historically breaking Democratic, he said.

"I think this goes down to the wire," he said.