Rossi takes over lead in Wash. gov. race [View All]

[Freddie Stubbs]

07:44 AM PST on Wednesday, November 10, 2004


Associated Press and KING5.com Staff



OLYMPIA, Wash. - The waiting game continues for Christine Gregoire and Dino Rossi. But at least the vote-counters are keeping it interesting. Gregoire, a Democrat, and Republican Rossi are still waiting to find out who won the race to become Washington's governor. Tuesday, a week after the election, Rossi edged ahead of Gregoire for the first time as new batches of absentee ballots were counted, ending the day leading by 2, 123 votes.

Rossi, 45, the former state Senate budget chairman and a real estate investor, also announced a transition team, although he concedes 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.

more: http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_111004_news_rossi_gregoire.42666c8b.html