Christine Gregoire -- still the governor; other Evergreen State poilitical news

It's been a few weeks since a judge here ruled that the Republicans could proceed with their attempt to overturn the gubernatorial election by proving that there were all sorts of improper and illegal votes. As each day passes, the support for the trial seems to wane. A poll this week showed that roughly two-thirds of voters do not support a re-vote.

Meanwhile, the list of voters who allegedly should not have voted seems to have some problems. From The Seattle Times:

The list of alleged felon voters compiled in Dino Rossi's legal challenge to the governor's election mistakenly includes people tried as juveniles who never lost their right to vote.

A spokeswoman for Rossi acknowledged last night that perhaps hundreds of the 1,135 people on the list are there improperly because of juvenile cases.

Even the state Republican chair seems to be suggesting that candidate Dino Rossi should move on. Chris Vance suggested Rossi would be a strong candidate to take on U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell in her re-election bid next year.

Cantwell has staked out some strong positions on issues that resonate with voters in all parts of the state. These include base closures and the manipulation of electricity prices in 2001 by companies such as Enron that caused havoc for small local power utilities. If there is one message that's clear from the counties that use hydropower, it's "Don't mess with our electricity." Equally strong from Eastern Washington: Hands off our water.

Cantwell seems to be taking lessons from Sen. Patty Murray, a liberal Democrat, who has earned her credentials as a strong defender of veterans rights -- especially in places such as Walla Walla, not exactly "blue" country.

It's hard to unseat a sitting Senator, but Cantwell is not exactly safe. If Rossi can parlay his "victim" status into a Senate nomination, he could just ride that to the Capitol. We'll see.

-- Wenatchee, Wash.