QUEEN CHRISTINE: Gregoire Stymies Dem Rivals Early in Governor's Race

[Ediacara]

QUEEN CHRISTINE
Gregoire Stymies Dem Rivals Early in Governor's Race
by Sandeep Kaushik


With two recent polls showing Christine Gregoire with a commanding early lead in the 2004 gubernatorial contest and a flood of money pouring into her campaign coffers, the centrist state attorney general has settled comfortably into the role of cautious, safely bland front-runner.

An Elway Research telephone poll of 401 registered voters conducted between November 20 and 23 shows Gregoire with a double-digit lead over all other declared or potential candidates. With 47 percent of voters still undecided, Gregoire pulls 24 percent support, potential Republican candidate King County Sheriff Dave Reichert draws nine percent, Republican front-runner Dino Rossi is at eight percent, and Gregoire's Democratic rivals, King County Executive Ron Sims and former state supreme court justice Phil Talmadge, lag behind at five and four percent, respectively.

"I think it clearly shows Gregoire is in a very strong position," pollster Stuart Elway says. "She leads across demographic categories and in every region, including King County." That's bad news for Sims, who will need to win big in his King County base in order to have any chance of beating Gregoire.

More at the Stranger

[JailBush]

1. God help us.

In the last gubernatorial campaign, I actually voted for the right-wing candidate, because he was a mixture of good and bad, whereas Gary Locke (Democrat) and John Carlson (Democrat) were pure bad.

This campaign may be even worse. Ron Sims is frighteningly corrupt, and Talmadge appears to be a bum, too.

Sheez, it's getting hard to even vote for the lesser of evils when they're this disgusting.

[Ediacara]

2. What are your thoughts on Gregoire?

I grew up in WA and always liked Gregoire, but I've been out of the loop since 2001 when I moved to Montana.

I have a feeling that Gregoire will be a shoe-in for the governor's mansion, since she seems to be far more popular than Simms and Talmadge, and the GOP has only put up token 7th-tier candidates (Cruz-Urube and Rossi).

Actually..... If she wants it, I bet Gregoire would be a strong contender for the 2012 Democratic presidential nomination.