McKenna preps for long haul in governor ballot count
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Republican gubernatorial candidate Rob McKenna prepared Thursday for a potentially prolonged ballot count, with campaign aides beginning an extensive effort to make sure votes get counted.
As election officials tallied more votes, McKenna's campaign field staff shifted its focus to about 16,000 challenged ballots around the state, the candidate's spokesman Charles McCray said. Aides are working to notify people whose ballots have been challenged, often due to mismatched signatures.
McKenna's campaign also has attorneys in every county that are prepared to deal with any issues that arise.
"We'll take it beyond this week if that's what it takes to make sure he's the next governor," McCray said.
Newly counted ballots on Thursday gave little credence to that hope, as Democrat Jay Inslee still held about 51 percent of the vote compared to 49 percent for McKenna. McKenna campaign manager Randy Pepple said they still believe votes will start breaking toward them on Friday, over the weekend and early next week.
Roughly three-quarters of the ballots that officials expect to receive have been counted so far.
McKenna, who currently serves as the state's attorney general, trails Democrat Jay Inslee by about 50,000 votes, but election officials say hundreds of thousands of ballots are left to count. The Republican believes later ballots will break in his direction, giving him the chance to make up that ground.
Counties prepared to update vote counts Thursday afternoon and evening.
Inslee, a former congressman, has said he's confident his lead will hold and has started preparing a team to help him transition into office in January. However, the Democrat has stopped short of declaring victory, acknowledging vote counts can take days.
Inslee spokesman Sterling Clifford said the campaign also was reaching out to people with challenged ballots. But he said it was because it was in everyone's interest to have ballots counted — not because of fears that the campaign's lead may disappear.
"We continue to have tremendous confidence in what the final results will be," Clifford said.
Because of Washington's shift to all-mail voting, in which ballots only have to be postmarked by Election Day, the state is used to prolonged counts. Voters also have experience with close governor's races after current Gov. Chris Gregoire won the 2004 contest by a mere 133 votes after two recounts and a court challenge.
As election officials tallied more votes, McKenna's campaign field staff shifted its focus to about 16,000 challenged ballots around the state, the candidate's spokesman Charles McCray said. Aides are working to notify people whose ballots have been challenged, often due to mismatched signatures.
McKenna's campaign also has attorneys in every county that are prepared to deal with any issues that arise.
"We'll take it beyond this week if that's what it takes to make sure he's the next governor," McCray said.
Newly counted ballots on Thursday gave little credence to that hope, as Democrat Jay Inslee still held about 51 percent of the vote compared to 49 percent for McKenna. McKenna campaign manager Randy Pepple said they still believe votes will start breaking toward them on Friday, over the weekend and early next week.
Roughly three-quarters of the ballots that officials expect to receive have been counted so far.
McKenna, who currently serves as the state's attorney general, trails Democrat Jay Inslee by about 50,000 votes, but election officials say hundreds of thousands of ballots are left to count. The Republican believes later ballots will break in his direction, giving him the chance to make up that ground.
Counties prepared to update vote counts Thursday afternoon and evening.
Inslee, a former congressman, has said he's confident his lead will hold and has started preparing a team to help him transition into office in January. However, the Democrat has stopped short of declaring victory, acknowledging vote counts can take days.
Inslee spokesman Sterling Clifford said the campaign also was reaching out to people with challenged ballots. But he said it was because it was in everyone's interest to have ballots counted — not because of fears that the campaign's lead may disappear.
"We continue to have tremendous confidence in what the final results will be," Clifford said.
Because of Washington's shift to all-mail voting, in which ballots only have to be postmarked by Election Day, the state is used to prolonged counts. Voters also have experience with close governor's races after current Gov. Chris Gregoire won the 2004 contest by a mere 133 votes after two recounts and a court challenge.
McKenna is screwed...... just look how the last governor was elected. Rossi won both of the first TWO recounts and yet still lost.............Â
 @kramr And Rossi was unable to prove any impropriety in his very expensive failed legal challenge. He lost, pure and simple. ("thousands of illegal aliens voted" and then they couldn't find a single instance despite $500,000 worth investigators. It is to laugh . . . .)
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And then he got stomped in 2008 in the rematch.
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He isn't called "The Whiner from Wenatchee" for nothing.
Hundreds of thousands of ballots yet to be counted? Hundreds of thousands? How many hundreds of thousands? How can that be? And didn't we go through this with the governor's election? What is wrong with Washington? Did they hire a bunch of people from Florida to count the votes?
@Old29  It's called voting by mail. Our ballots can be postmarked on election day, therefore they must wait for the USPS to deliver them all.   So whats wrong with you? Ignoramus?
He does have a point, we ma not like or disagree with it but we never should say what is over and what is not over. and if ballots have miss matched signatures, then what of the gay thing that passed what if those signatures do not mach? or what if the marijuana thing that passed does not wind up having matched signatures? I vote to scrutinise all ballots for proper signatures ...Now am I evil enough for the forums?
Hahahahaha.....Loserrrr!!!
Good Luck, McKenna. Â The state definitely needs you after two terms with Gregoire doing everything she can to destroy the state. Â First thing she did was squander a two billion dollar surplus she inherited when she became governor. Â Not a big surprise, since the democrats love to spend, (WASTE) money. Â But don't get your hopes up. Â As crooked as the state of Washington is, they won't let a decent governor rule. Â The bottom feeders in King county don't want anyone to upset their way of doing things. Â This is how they kept her competition out of office in the past and will keep you out.
wow, i didn't know the Cryptkeeper was running for governor. Â what a beady eyed little pest! his wife looks like a real freak show , too yikes!
" Arnold " you are an ....IDIOT.......
@arnold
And you're extremely good looking yourself, is that it? What a strange thing to say, What on earth do his looks have to do with anything?
Better keep an eye on this weasel. Â Angry lil' GOP'er......