No big surprises from the electorate

Voters in Kitsap County turned out in record numbers on Tuesday, and in all but one race, pretty much voted the way pollsters were predicting.

That lone surprise was in the hotly contested governor’s race where Republican Dino Rossi had a lead of less than 1 percent against Democrat Christine Gregoire. In the statewide count, Rossi trails Gregoire by 1.09 percent which can only mean one thing — an automatic recount before we’ll truly know who will replace Gov. Gary Locke.

If it’s Rossi, it’ll be the first time since John Spellman left office in 1985 that a Republican held the post. If it’s Gregoire, it’ll be only the second time a woman has held the state’s top post (Democrat Dixie Lee Ray was the first in 1977.)

Kitsap voters also want to keep blowing things up on the Fourth of July, rejecting the county’s advisory vote by nearly 11 percent to ban personal fireworks.

2 yes, 3 no

No surprises among the initiatives on the ballot either as Kitsap said “yes” to a top-two primary and a nuclear waste ban and “no” to a sales tax increase for education purposes, off-reservation slots and charter schools for a third time.

Dems in the other Washington

Color us a solid blue for who we wanted in Washington, D.C. The Kerry-Edwards ticket had a solid 4 percent lead over Bush-Cheney. Ferry-loving Sen. Patti Murray gets to keep her title for another six years. Jay Inslee is going back for a fourth term in the House after trouncing Kirkland’s Randy Eastwood in District 1.

Comment on this story.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in our online community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read. Please see our FAQ if you have questions or concerns about using Facebook to comment.