| Rossi, Gregoire in close race for Washington governor Thursday, September 23, 2004 By
DON JENKINS, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Christine Gregoire slightly leads Republican Dino Rossi 46 percent to 41 percent, according to a poll conducted for The Columbian and two other newspapers. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points. So, the race could be a dead heat. Gregoire, a three-term state attorney general, is seeking to become Washington's second woman governor. "I think she did a fairly good job as attorney general," said retired Army officer David Bright, 63, of Olympia, who participated in the poll. "I'm a Democrat, so I won't vote for Rossi." Another poll respondent, Brandon Kirkwood, 26, of Lacey, said he likes Rossi's views on the economy and conservative social positions, including Rossi's opposition to gay marriage. "It's very important to me. I believe marriage is between a man and a woman," said Kirkwood, a state auditor. "I like a person who falls in line with what I believe on family values." Ipsos-Public Affairs in Washington, D.C., interviewed 406 registered voters by telephone Sept. 17-20. The Columbian, The Associated Press, The (Tacoma) News Tribune and The (Everett) Herald paid for the poll. The poll shows that with fewer than six weeks before the Nov. 2 election, Gregoire enjoys a commanding lead in the Seattle area. She also has strong support from women, voters with college degrees and households with annual incomes below $50,000. Rossi, a former state senator from eastern King County, leads in Western Washington outside King County. He enjoys strong support from gun owners, evangelicals and households where a military veteran lives. The candidates virtually tied in Eastern Washington, though the sample size, 88 voters, was small. Among the 13 percent who were undecided, 3 percent said they leaned toward Gregoire, while 2 percent leaned toward Rossi. Counting those voters, Gregoire leads 49 percent to 43 percent. Some 29 percent said they would definitely vote for Gregoire, while 26 percent said they were committed to Rossi. Retired beautician Nancy Ross, 66, of Tacoma said she could change her mind, but she's fairly set on voting for Rossi. Washington voters haven't elected a Republican governor since 1980. "We've had Democrats for a couple of years; maybe we just need a change," Ross said. "I don't know whether it would work or not work, but that's also in my mind." Gregoire's 12 years in statewide office is long enough, said Rossi voter Ron Cavalier, 42, of Marysville. "I think the flexibility of the longtime officeholder goes out the window as they become more party-affiliated," Cavalier said. "I'd like to see someone else get a shot at it." Kirsten Ludlow, 41, of Bellingham said health care issues will drive her vote for Gregoire. Ludlow gave birth 11 months ago to premature twins. The twins spent months in a hospital, and Ludlow said dealing with her private health insurance company has been frustrating. Ludlow said Gregoire's own recent treatment for breast cancer may have made her more in tune with Ludlow's experience. "Those of us who are paying premiums shouldn't have to work so hard to access our benefits," Ludlow said. William Cook, 55, of Monroe, has a personal reason for supporting Gregoire. A boilermaker, Cook said that as attorney general Gregoire helped another boilermaker obtain disability payments. "Hey, I thought, 'This woman's OK.'" Don Jenkins reports on politics. He can be reached at 360-759-8038
or don.jenkins@columbian.com.
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