GOP's Rossi wins Wash. governor recount

11/24/2004, 4:00 p.m. ET
The Associated Press



OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — 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.

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Returns: http://www.vote.wa.gov