08/20/2008

By CURT WOODWARD  / Associated Press

As their bare-knuckle rematch for governor enters its final phase, Democratic incumbent Chris Gregoire and Republican challenger Dino Rossi have plenty of unkind words for each other.

But here's one thing they can agree on: Barack Obama voters, I'm your candidate.

Gregoire, an early endorser of the Democratic presidential nominee-in-waiting, strongly positioned herself up as Obama's trusty co-pilot after edging Rossi in Tuesday's "top two" primary returns.

The Illinois senator's "change"-flavored agenda is simply an extension of her first term's accomplishments, and his seat at the top of the ticket will only add to her lead, Gregoire said.

"I expect Barack Obama to win Washington state, and I expect to be his partner as governor, to bring the kind of results we've achieved in Washington state all across America," Gregoire told The Associated Press.

But Rossi — running the more Obama-esque campaign as an outsider striving to change state government — wasn't about to let Gregoire walk away with the Democratic standard bearer, who leads in polls here and is expected to drive turnout in the general election.

"We have so many Obama supporters that are our supporters. One of my bigger fundraisers is an Obama supporter," Rossi told the AP. "We're going to have tens of thousands of people who are voting for Obama who will vote for us."

With the primary now behind them and their expected slots on the general election ballot secure, Gregoire and Rossi are lined up for an Olympic-class final sprint to November.

It's the final phase of a rematch four years in the making, set up by Gregoire's 133-vote 2004 win, which followed three vote counts and an unsuccessful Republican court challenge.

Unofficial returns in Tuesday's primary showed Gregoire with a lead — but not by much. With about 37 percent of the expected ballots counted, Gregoire had about 49 percent of the vote to Rossi's 45 percent. Under Washington's new primary system, Gregoire and Rossi will be the only two gubernatorial candidates listed on the ballot in November.

Analysts warned against reading too much into the primary. The pool of voters in these elections tends to be smaller, with an attentive, activist bent. The general election, particularly with an open presidential seat atop the ticket, will draw far more voters, including those more apt to cross party lines.

Still, the candidates and their supporters were swirling the tea leaves for signs of good fortune.

Gregoire said she was excited by her showing across the state, even in some conservative spots and counties she lost in the 2004 general election. Aside from frequently mentioning Obama, her campaign was pushing another O-word: One Washington.

"I think that it shows that the hard work that we've been undertaking over the last four years is resonating in urban and rural communities in all four corners of the state," Gregoire said.

For his part, Rossi crowed about nipping at the governor's heels. The former state senator said he only claimed 34 percent in the 2004 primary, when he shared the ballot with a Democratic nomination fight — and look at how that turned out in November.

"I feel good about where we are," Rossi said. "The reality is that less than half the people who are going to show up at the general voted in the primary. The bottom line is this is going to be a sprint to the end."

The campaign so far has been costly, and marked by acrid advertising on both sides. Now that we've turned the corner toward November, expect to hear more.

So far, Rossi has been painted as a callous penny-pincher who doesn't much care for teachers or domestic abuse victims and doesn't respect a woman right to have abortions or buy emergency contraception.

Gregoire is cast as a tired creature of the Olympia bureaucracy and a classic tax-and-spend liberal who has steered the state budget toward a projected $2.7 billion deficit.

Both campaigns have well-heeled surrogates — unions for her, the construction industry for him — helping to push the negative narratives. National governor's associations for both parties also are tuned up for the election.

The candidates themselves generally stay away from the mud in advertisements and talk about more about their own virtues. But you don't have to scratch very deep to get to a vein of acrimony.

As the primary results filtered in Tuesday night, Rossi was ready to pounce on Gregoire's spending record. Pointing to tax increases in Gregoire's first legislative session, Rossi said "she'll be satisfied with raising people's taxes again."

Gregoire punched back, accusing Rossi of serial fibbing: "It's a typical tactic of trying to create fear. He has absolutely no basis, none whatsoever. He makes things up, and continues to do so by making that statement."

It's going to be a long and blustery autumn.

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Associated Press writer Rachel La Corte contributed to this report.

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On the Net:

Gregoire: http://www.chrisgregoire.com

Rossi: http://www.dinorossi.com