The biggest race in Washington State will be the rematch between Governor Gregoire and GOP (not Republican) opponent Dino Rossi. In the highly controversial 2004 election, Gregoire won the third recount by a mere 129 votes. I don't think the race will be that close and here is why:

• Governor Gregoire inherited a $2.2 billion state budget deficit and turned it into a nearly billion dollar surplus.
• Under her leadership, the nonpartisan, independent Pew Center on the States ranked Washington as one of the top-three states for managing public resources.
  
• Forbes Magazine ranked our state as one of the top-three best states for business. The Small Business Council ranks Washington as the fourth-best state for small business.
• When she stepped into the Governor's mansion, Washington had the nation's 2nd highest unemployment rate. Now we are near the bottom.

So on the typical Republican (I meant GOP) talking points of cutting government, being good for business and fiscal responsibility, Gregoire has excelled. And she has made a commitment to improving health care in our state, which will be a major issue in this election. Perhaps the biggest reason is that she learned from her campaign mistakes in 2004. During that election, Gregoire was far too King County-centric. That was safe (Dem-leaning) territory with all the big media outlets. And yet it bit her in the ass. She lost the suburbs big time and was beat in Pierce County, which should never be won by a Republican. But this time around, she is making it a point to be seen across the state, especially outside of King County.

Finally, a quick glance at Tuesday's primary election makes it easy to think Gregoire has a great chance at reelection. She is currently ahead 49.2% to 45.2% in a 10-person race. Rossi is probably stating that clearly 50% of the electorate does not approve of the Governor. But look a little closer at the numbers...

Voter turnout was a mere 27% of the registered voters. In many of the Eastern Washington counties (where Rossi holds a commanding lead), turnout exceeded 40% and in some cases over 50%. And yet in King County (which is Gregoire's stronghold and by far the most populous county), the turnout was a mere 19%. If Gregoire can win King County by 60% and they turnout in force in the general election, she's got this in the bag. Furthermore, she won Pierce County (the 2nd biggest county in terms of registered voters) in the primary when she lost it significantly in 2004.

Anyways, I'm feeling quite confident that voters will rightfully return Gregoire to Governor's mansion in November.