OLYMPIA, Wash. - After three vote tallies and 58 days of waiting, Democrat Christine Gregoire was declared Washington's governor-elect on Thursday. But her Republican rival did not concede and wants a new election.
Secretary of State Sam Reed, a Republican, certified Gregoire, the three-term attorney general, as the winner of the closest governor's race in state history. She won a statewide hand recount by a scant 129 votes out of more than 2.8 million cast.
But Republican candidate Dino Rossi, a former state legislative leader and real-estate investor, said the election was hopelessly flawed and that the Legislature should authorize a new election. He won both of the earlier counts.
Rossi also held open the possibility of contesting the election in the courts.
Gregoire's campaign rejected the idea of a new vote and said Rossi should accept the newly certified tally.
"This ain't golf. No mulligans allowed here, folks," Gregoire's spokesman, Morton Brilliant, said Wednesday. "It's irresponsible to spend $4 million in taxpayer money on a new election just because you don't like losing this one."
A revote would have to be approved by the Democrat-controlled state Legislature.
"The uncertainty surrounding this election process isn't just bad for you and me — it is bad for the entire state," Rossi said, reading from a letter he said he sent to Gregoire. "People need to know for sure that the next governor actually won the election."
An unprecedented statewide hand recount had put Gregoire ahead for the first time, by just a tiny fraction of 1 percent.
Rossi, a real estate agent and former state senator, won the initial tally last month by 261 votes, triggering an automatic machine recount. He won that count, too, by 42 votes.
While noting that he could contest the election, Rossi said a legal challenge could drag on for months. The better way to clear up the mess, he said, would be to ask lawmakers to pass a bill calling for a special election as soon as the state Legislature convenes in early January for the 2005 session.
Asked what he would do if Gregoire rebuffed his request, Rossi said his campaign would take a close look at election data it has requested from King County and go from there. GOP leaders have spent the last several days weighing whether to proceed with contesting the results.
After the election, more than 700 ballots surfaced in the heavily Democratic county, which includes Seattle. The additional votes allowed Gregoire to stretch her lead from just 10 votes in the hand recount to her triple-digit advantage. A legal challenge would have to be filed by Jan. 22, 10 days after Gregoire's scheduled inauguration.
Gov. Gary Locke said he strongly disagreed with Rossi's call for another election. "The people have voted, and all votes properly cast were counted," said Locke, a Democrat who's retiring after two terms.
Amid the weeks of uncertainty, both Gregoire and Rossi have maintained transition offices, appointing teams to work on a state budget, Cabinet appointments and an agenda for the upcoming Legislature.
Rossi had been using the title "governor-elect," and his family even toured the Governor's Mansion.
It's apparent what the Democratic strategy will be for future close elections. It was apparent in the 2000 Presidential election, and may actually come to fruition in the 2004 Washington election: Lose the election, force recount after recount, all the while finding mysterious new ballots everyone magically missed the first time (of course, they could very well be fabricated), and once the count FINALLY favors the Democratic candidate, put a stop to everything, now we KNOW every vote has been counted!
This is so filthy and underhanded it makes me want to puke. I'm glad it didn't work in 2000, when Gore would have recounted until the end of the world if the results didn't favor him, and I'm glad this presidential election wasn't close enough for Kerry to make a spirited attempt to steal it. The endless recounts are blatant election theft, in 2000 and in 2004. I totally agree that a special election should be held. If Ukraine can fix it's faulty system, there's no excuse for letting this stand.
Lukes Skywalker will be in it by the sounds of it , I wonder if Carrie Fisher might also make an appearence as the aged New Republic Senator Leia Solo , I bet it would be hard to get Harrison Fords sorry carcus for a cameo given that unlike the other two he turned into a big shot super star and not a type casted has been who best role afterwards was voicing joker on a batman cartoon!
But anything is possible, Maybe Ford would love a on screen union for old times sake I bet the fans would really be happy.
I am surprised Lucas agreed to it, He used to be pretty stern about not allowing it to turn into startrek and just fade out and die in tv waste land.
Rick Berman the guy has made the last three star trek series and also best known for his role of defacating on Gene Roddenberrys memmory.Is qouted as saying he wants a job on this new SW tv show , I soppose if Lucas doesnt mind having his pride and artistic worth turned into decomposed racoon hide.
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