Voter Anger? Next election?
Yes, I would remember something like this. Yes, I'd be plenty PO'd. Unfortunately, I don't credit my fellow man with the same gift of memory.
Four years is an eon in our society. No one will care four years from now. Once Fraudoire furor is over, this will have no impact on the next election. State legislators are pretty anonymous once they get to the Statehouse. I'd bet this issue won't cost a single seat in the next elections.
The best bet is that Fraudoire will not be able to govern effectively, which MIGHT get her tossed from office.
There will be lingering anger if the court nullifies the governor's election AND the legislature fails to authorize a revote.
In such an event, I think alot of voters would see (D) by someone's name and vote against that name or not vote. The next election for state legislators is 2006?
During the interim, if the governor's election was declared null and void, and Gregoire refused to step down and the legislature refused to authorize a revote, then people would know she is illegitimate.
Illegitimacy will not fade in memories. Everywhere she would go she would be seen as illegitimate, She could not govern.
The legislature will I think authorize a revote because of this illegitimacy. Otherwise they would have difficulty representing their constituents who want a revote.
This is all based on a court decision to set aside this election for governor.
Of course democrats would like to think that as time passes people will forget. There's a problem with that thinking because there is a court case that will keep the issue in the public eye. The only way they get past this is if they win in court.
So the court calendar will keep the voters interested.
Otherwise I would agree with you that people would forget.