The media spin on the WA governor race is beginning to turn. The Oregonian is now urging Dino Rossi (R) to concede after "probably the closest vote in U.S. history for an office of such magnitude".
They also debunk any allegation from republicans of voter fraud or comparisons with the situation in the Ukraine.
Here's the link: http://www.oregonlive.com/editorials/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/editorial/1103806679248030.xml
the text of the editorial after the jump
"And the winner is . . . Gregoire?
If her incredibly narrow lead holds up today, Dino Rossi should concede in the Washington state governor's race
Thursday, December 23, 2004
For three chaotic weeks in Washington state, Dino Rossi has held the title of Washington state governor-elect and has battled hard to hang onto it.
Today, though, he's plain old Dino Rossi again, the 45-year-old Republican real estate agent from Issaquah. Washington now has a new governor-elect, Democrat Christine Gregoire, the state's 57-year-old attorney general.
In the second and presumably final recount of Washington's Nov. 2 gubernatorial election, Gregoire came from 49 votes behind and edged ahead of Rossi Wednesday by just 10 votes in the statewide tally.
That's an astoundingly narrow margin for an election in which 2.9 million votes were cast. Her microscopic winning edge, though, could grow a bit as a result of a big boost she received Wednesday afternoon from the Washington Supreme Court. It ruled that King County must count several hundred ballots that had been wrongly disqualified back in the initial November vote because of administrative errors.
That ruling probably cinches it for Gregoire. Since King County, home of Seattle and its suburbs, is an overwhelming Democratic stronghold, she is considered a sure bet to pick up most of those 700-plus votes.
They'll be tallied today. If the secretary of state's office then certifies Gregoire as the winner, the state will have to reimburse the Democratic Party for the $730,000 it had to pony up to pay for the second recount.
While the state Supreme Court was hearing arguments Wednesday on the ballot dispute in Olympia, a few hundred protesters rallied in front of the courthouse to show support for Rossi. Some held signs saying "Welcome to Ukraine" and "No more fraud."
But no fraud has been evident in this election. The only thing irregular about it is that it's probably the closest vote in U.S. history for an office of such magnitude, according to research done by State Elections Director Nick Handy.
The first recount, by machine, and the second recount, by hand, were closely monitored by both major political parties. The entire process was guided precisely by state law and overseen by Secretary of State Sam Reed, a Republican.
Nevertheless, Rossi supporters vowed to go back to county canvassing boards with demands that they reconsider Rossi ballots that were disqualified. Republican leaders also said they're prepared to go to court to challenge the election results.
That's Rossi's legal right, just as it was Gregoire's legal right to ask for the second recount. But it's hard to imagine Rossi being able to turn the tide back in his favor.
He led by only 261 votes after the Nov. 2 election. He led by only 42 votes after the first recount. He trailed by 10 votes after the second recount. And he's almost certain to trail by more than that after those 700-plus King County ballots get belatedly counted today.
In the absence of any convincing evidence of election fraud or procedural error, it's time for someone in this amazing election to concede. Right now, it looks like that someone should be Dino Rossi."