Thursday, January 13, 2005
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January 13, 2005Questions Linger as Governor Takes Over in WashingtonBy TIMOTHY EGAN OLYMPIA, Wash., Jan. 12 - The swearing-in ceremony here that made the Democrat Christine A. Gregoire the new governor of Washington on Wednesday after one of the closest statehouse races in history had all the somber ritualistic touches, complete with prayers and bagpipes wailing "God Bless America."But outside, on the airwaves, on billboards and in statements made by Republicans, Ms. Gregoire's hold on the office was questioned even as she gave her inauguration speech. Republicans and their candidate, Dino Rossi, have sued to overturn the election, which Ms. Gregoire won by 129 votes after two recounts. The court case, filed in a Republican-leaning county, will most likely be settled only when this state's Supreme Court weighs in. Republicans say the election was flawed because of irregularities in the biggest and most Democratic county, while Gregoire supporters say the problems were not unusual for a large turnout, and did not change the outcome.But the Washington Constitution has no specific provision on a revote, leaving leaders of both parties struggling over the high ground of public esteem as the politics of the state enters the frontier. For Republicans, that means building a base of discontented voters using their allies in conservative talk radio and the building industry. As Ms. Gregoire was giving her speech, the Building Industry Association of Washington ran radio advertisements saying, "We don't even know who our legitimate governor is." They were backed by conservative radio hosts, who helped to organize a rally of about 2,500 anti-Gregoire forces here on Tuesday. They called on legislators to delay the swearing-in while the court heard the legal challenge. The motion was defeated along party lines.For Democrats, the new campaign means trying to build a base of majority popular support for Ms. Gregoire, should a new vote take place. In her inaugural speech, Ms. Gregoire, the former state attorney general, struck a conciliatory tone, reaching out to Mr. Rossi and calling for election reform. She announced a task force, chaired by Secretary of State Sam Reed, a Republican, to review the state's election process. In her speech, before a packed house in the capitol rotunda, Ms. Gregoire recalled her blue-collar background, thanked her mother - a "short order cook" - and her parish priest, who gave a prayer. She talked about her survival from breast cancer, and praised her husband, a Vietnam veteran."Many have asked how I can govern without a clear mandate from voters," she said. "I believe the voters have given us a mandate - a mandate to overcome our differences and to solve problems."After the speech, Republican leaders tried to walk a line between acknowledging Ms. Gregoire as governor and saying it was not quite over. "The fact is we will never know who really won this election," said Representative Bruce Chandler, in giving the Republican response. "That's very disconcerting." Republicans said their party base is angry, and not willing to give up. At the Tuesday rally, Republicans chanted "Re-vote! Re-vote!," while Democrats, in a much smaller rally, held signs that read, "Don't waste our tax $ on your hurt feelings." The leader of the Republican minority in the Senate, Bill Finkbeiner, seemed to take a small step toward reconciliation. "She's now the governor of Washington State and we're ready to work with her," he said. "In the meantime, this is going to be sorted out."What happens next is uncertain. Democrats said the court could throw out the results, but any remedy would be in the Legislature. A Democratic leader in the House, Representative Helen Sommers, also said it would be uncharted territory for a court to order a new election. Among the questions are whether there would be a primary, or whether third party candidates could run. A Libertarian candidate got more than 60,000 votes in the race, more than enough to tip the balance. "If the court were to set aside the result, I assume they would direct the Legislature to find a remedy," Ms. Sommers said. "But I don't even think a court could set it aside."Republicans have not detailed any plans on how a new election would take place. They circulated an online petition, and with their allies in industry, have backed an electronic billboard message for a re-vote, which flashes along Interstate 5.Mr. Rossi led after the initial count of the votes and in the first recount, done by machine, and lost in the second one, done by hand. . At nightfall, both sides appeared ready to put differences aside for the inaugural ball, even as they said it could be the only semblance of a honeymoon for Ms. Gregoire.Eli Sanders contributed reporting for this article.
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January 13, 2005Questions Linger as Governor Takes Over in WashingtonBy TIMOTHY EGAN OLYMPIA, Wash., Jan. 12 - The swearing-in ceremony here that made the Democrat Christine A. Gregoire the new governor of Washington on Wednesday after one of the closest statehouse races in history had all the somber ritualistic touches, complete with prayers and bagpipes wailing "God Bless America."But outside, on the airwaves, on billboards and in statements made by Republicans, Ms. Gregoire's hold on the office was questioned even as she gave her inauguration speech. Republicans and their candidate, Dino Rossi, have sued to overturn the election, which Ms. Gregoire won by 129 votes after two recounts. The court case, filed in a Republican-leaning county, will most likely be settled only when this state's Supreme Court weighs in. Republicans say the election was flawed because of irregularities in the biggest and most Democratic county, while Gregoire supporters say the problems were not unusual for a large turnout, and did not change the outcome.But the Washington Constitution has no specific provision on a revote, leaving leaders of both parties struggling over the high ground of public esteem as the politics of the state enters the frontier. For Republicans, that means building a base of discontented voters using their allies in conservative talk radio and the building industry. As Ms. Gregoire was giving her speech, the Building Industry Association of Washington ran radio advertisements saying, "We don't even know who our legitimate governor is." They were backed by conservative radio hosts, who helped to organize a rally of about 2,500 anti-Gregoire forces here on Tuesday. They called on legislators to delay the swearing-in while the court heard the legal challenge. The motion was defeated along party lines.For Democrats, the new campaign means trying to build a base of majority popular support for Ms. Gregoire, should a new vote take place. In her inaugural speech, Ms. Gregoire, the former state attorney general, struck a conciliatory tone, reaching out to Mr. Rossi and calling for election reform. She announced a task force, chaired by Secretary of State Sam Reed, a Republican, to review the state's election process. In her speech, before a packed house in the capitol rotunda, Ms. Gregoire recalled her blue-collar background, thanked her mother - a "short order cook" - and her parish priest, who gave a prayer. She talked about her survival from breast cancer, and praised her husband, a Vietnam veteran."Many have asked how I can govern without a clear mandate from voters," she said. "I believe the voters have given us a mandate - a mandate to overcome our differences and to solve problems."After the speech, Republican leaders tried to walk a line between acknowledging Ms. Gregoire as governor and saying it was not quite over. "The fact is we will never know who really won this election," said Representative Bruce Chandler, in giving the Republican response. "That's very disconcerting." Republicans said their party base is angry, and not willing to give up. At the Tuesday rally, Republicans chanted "Re-vote! Re-vote!," while Democrats, in a much smaller rally, held signs that read, "Don't waste our tax $ on your hurt feelings." The leader of the Republican minority in the Senate, Bill Finkbeiner, seemed to take a small step toward reconciliation. "She's now the governor of Washington State and we're ready to work with her," he said. "In the meantime, this is going to be sorted out."What happens next is uncertain. Democrats said the court could throw out the results, but any remedy would be in the Legislature. A Democratic leader in the House, Representative Helen Sommers, also said it would be uncharted territory for a court to order a new election. Among the questions are whether there would be a primary, or whether third party candidates could run. A Libertarian candidate got more than 60,000 votes in the race, more than enough to tip the balance. "If the court were to set aside the result, I assume they would direct the Legislature to find a remedy," Ms. Sommers said. "But I don't even think a court could set it aside."Republicans have not detailed any plans on how a new election would take place. They circulated an online petition, and with their allies in industry, have backed an electronic billboard message for a re-vote, which flashes along Interstate 5.Mr. Rossi led after the initial count of the votes and in the first recount, done by machine, and lost in the second one, done by hand. . At nightfall, both sides appeared ready to put differences aside for the inaugural ball, even as they said it could be the only semblance of a honeymoon for Ms. Gregoire.Eli Sanders contributed reporting for this article.
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