AP: GOP's Rossi Wins Wash. Governor Recount

AP ^ | November 24, 2004

[West Coast Conservative]

Republican Dino Rossi came out ahead of Democrat Christine Gregoire by just 42 votes Wednesday in the recount for Washington governor, but the Democrats are expected to demand yet another recount.

The contest was the nation's last undecided race for the governor.

The machine recount of 2.8 million ballots left Rossi just 42 votes ahead of Gregoire, the state attorney general. That makes it the closest governor's race in Washington history.

Rossi had also won the original count, but his 261-vote margin was so small it triggered an automatic recount.

The Republicans called on Gregoire to concede and not drag the state through a third count that could stretch until Christmas week or longer. But even before the last big surge of ballots was tallied, Democrats had signaled they would seek a hand recount in at least part of the state.

Rossi, 45, a self-made real estate millionaire and former state Senate budget chairman from the Seattle suburb of Sammamish, was hoping to become the first Republican since 1980 to get elected governor. He ran on a platform of change and job-creation.

Gregoire, 57, was hoping to become the state's second woman governor. She carried eight of the 39 counties, most notably the largest, King, which includes heavily Democratic Seattle. Gregoire was strongly backed by the women's movement and was best known for battling America's tobacco industry.

[MB6.3]

Paul Berendt is the State Dim Chair. Total Neanderthal. Basic line of chatter is "count all the votes" which translates into "how many do we need?"

He's been calling Rossi's 261 vote lead "a tie". Now what's he going to call a 42 vote lead, a Chrissie victory?
The Dims won't be honorable and concede. It's about power and not service.

The re-recount needs to have the bright lights of clear transparency shinned upon it. KingCo is so heavily democrat that my guess is right now some ballots are being phonied up in the basement of the King County Court House. By the time this gets before the federal judge next week, the dims will have 50 votes in their pockets.

Is anyone else smelling due process violations here?

Ciao

[Steve_Seattle]

Show me the numbers.

This doesn't make sense; the Sec of State site shows CG with a lead of more than 1,000 votes - NOBODY predicted that kind of a shift. And why is the AP calling this a Rossi win?

[Catmom]

"OK Washington Legal Eagle Freepers. Is there any legal basis for ordering yet another recount?"

It's not mandated by Wa law. However, Gregoire can request a manual recount if she/her supporters pay for it. This could cost nearly $1,000,000.

[Steve_Seattle]

"Is anyone else smelling due process violations here?"

I'm wondering why AP is calling this a Rossi win when the official recount site shows Gregoire more than 1,000 votes ahead. And I'm wondering where those votes - about a 1,500 vote swing for Gregoire - came from; nobody predicted that kind of a swing.

[Republican Wildcat]

Indeed. This is so transparent it is unbelievable, and they are doing it right out in the open.

[Gunder]

The Democrats are going to demand a hand recount in only PARTICULAR counties?!

Holy shades of Florida 2000, Batman!

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

It's all over the news. Rossi won. The state apparently needs to update its site.

[Julie(LCR)]

Kitsap county has not been posted to the site yet - thus the discrepancy. The actual total reflects a 42 lead for Rossi.

[Steve_Seattle]

Well, the Seattle Times website also now shows the Rossi win, but I'm surprised by the huge swings in both King and Kitsap counties.

[bluebeak]

King Co. attacked Kitsap Co. and destroyed it ... media not reporting this ... and the state election site pretending Kitsap Co. never existed.

;>)

[UWhusky]

If Gregoire pays for a hand recount, is that recount binding? I would think that the first recount mandated by state law would be the binding one, and that subsequent counting is for informational purposes only. Does anybody out there know what the law says about this?

[Catmom]

"Does anybody out there know what the law says about this?"

Do you listen to 570 KVI? Go to their webpage and click on the link for John Carlson. He's the best source I know of to sort this all out. His show starts at 3PM.

[Chad Fairbanks]

Kitsap's totals aren't updated on the S.O.S. site yet.. that's what is going on with the SecState numbers. Gotta factor Kitsap in...

[self_evident]

Bingo. This is the Gore strategy all over again. Cherry-pick the recount and rely on the courts to back you up.

[vox_freedom]

At this point, a 42 vote margin sounds to me like a landslide.
This is, after all, three weeks and a day after the November general election... I do hope that Gregiore does the right thing and concedes NOW, rather than dragging this out through a third recount. That could last another month.

[self_evident]

LOL!!! uuuhhhhhh so a machine has political leanings???

Actually, it's more rational than you think. It's been largely proven that Dem voters screw up when voting more often then Repubs. A consequence of some not-to-bright voting blocs and the elderly not being familiar with electronic voting.

[AmericaUnited]

But even before the last big surge of ballots was tallied, Democrats had signaled they would seek a hand recount in at least part of the state.

Did'nt the SCOTUS pronounce that UNCONSTITUTIONAL in Bush vs Gore?

[Tempest]

Personally I feel that if a political party is too stupid to figure out how to vote "properly". Not that it's a hard thing, they shouldn't be deciding who get's to be leader of the free world anyways.

[Heatseeker]

Sore Loserwoman