http://www.kirotv.com/politics/4016567/detail.html Final King County Tally Favors Gregoire
POSTED: 6:33 am PST December 22, 2004
UPDATED: 3:59 pm PST December 23, 2004
OLYMPIA, Wash. -- The final county recount tally Thursday gives a 130 vote victory to Democrat Christine Gregoire in Washington's race for governor.
It's the last undecided governor's race in the country, and the closest in Washington state history.
The final votes came from Washington's most populous county, King County, which includes Seattle and is considered a Democratic stronghold.
In the original ballot count after the November second election and in an earlier recount by machine, Republican Dino Rossi had maintained slim leads.
The 130 vote margin come out of 2.9 million ballots cast.
The latest ballot recount by hand reverses the results of the first count, which Rossi won by 261 votes, and the machine recount, which Rossi won by 42.
And Republicans say this election isn't over yet. Party officials say they intend to push further to make sure every legitimate Republican vote was counted.
Secretary of State Sam Reed is scheduled to certify the election next Thursday. After that, Republicans may pursue a legal challenge. And state law allows any registered voter to challenge election results.
Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Christine Gregoire 1,373,362 48.8731% Dino Rossi 1,373,232 48.8684% Ruth Bennett 63,465 2.2585%
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