Washington, Governor
Race Forecast: Leans Democratic
Vote for winner in 2004: Gregoire (D) 48.87 percent, Dino Rossi (R) 48.86 percent
Gregoire has rebounded from her narrow and controversial 2004 win over Rossi, who is back for a rematch. Rossi ’ s base is strongly unified behind him and have been relishing the possibility of challenging Gregoire. While she once held extremely low approval ratings among state voters, Gregoire has since risen in the polls and an overall Democratic lean in the state benefits her campaign. A Republican governor has not been elected in the state since 1980.
Race Information
- Incumbent: Christine Gregoire, D
- First Elected: 2004 (1st term)
- Incumbent Status: Running for reelection
- Challengers: Christian Joubert, D; Duff Badgley, GREEN; James White, I; John Aiken, R; Javier Lopez, R; Will Baker, REF; Mohammad Said, X; Christopher Tudor, X; Dino Rossi, R
- Race Forecast: Leans Democratic
State Information
- U.S. Senate Delegation: 2 Democrats
- U.S. House Delegation: 6 Democrats, 3 Republicans
- Senators
- Sen. Patty Murray, D
- First Elected: 1992 (3rd term)
- Last Elected: 2004 (54.98%)
- Sen. Maria Cantwell, D
- First Elected: 2000 (2nd term)
- Last Elected: 2006 (56.85%)
- State Offices
- State House Control: Democratic
- State Senate Control: Democratic
- Demographics (2000 census)
- Population (2005): 6,287,759
- Under 18: 25.7%
- Over 65: 11.2%
- Non-Hispanic White: 78.9%
- Black: 3.1%
- Hispanic: 7.5%
- Asian: 5.4%
- American Indian: 1.4%
- Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0.4%
- Median Household Income: 45,776
- Median Household Income Rank: 14
| Year | Election | Candidate | Votes | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | general | Christian Joubert (D) | ||
| Duff Badgley (GREEN) | ||||
| James White (I) | ||||
| John Aiken (R) | ||||
| Javier Lopez (R) | ||||
| Will Baker (REF) | ||||
| Mohammad Said (X) | ||||
| Christopher Tudor (X) | ||||
| Christine Gregoire (D) | 1,196,953 | 53.9% | ||
| Dino Rossi (R) | 1,023,810 | 46.1% | ||
| 2004 | general | Christine Gregoire (D) | 1,373,361 | 48.9% |
| Dino Rossi (R) | 1,373,232 | 48.9% | ||
| Ruth Bennett (LIBERT) | 63,465 | 2.3% | ||
| 2000 | general | Gary Locke (D) | 1,441,973 | 58.4% |
| John Carlson (R) | 980,060 | 39.7% | ||
| Steve LePage (LIBERT) | 47,819 | 1.9% | ||
| 1996 | general | Gary Locke (D) | 1,296,492 | 58% |
| Ellen Craswell (R) | 940,538 | 42% | ||
| 1980 | general | Jim McDermott (D) | 749,813 | 43.3% |
| Year | Democrat | Republican | Independent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | John Kerry: 53% | George W. Bush: 46% | |
| 2000 | Al Gore: 50% | George W. Bush: 45% | |
| 1996 | Bill Clinton: 51% | Robert Dole: 36% | |
| 1992 | Bill Clinton: 43% | George H. W. Bush: 32% |
