I think the old saying "my vote doesnt count" has just about been put to rest over the last couple elections. Ya think!

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Control of Legislature hangs on handful of seats


By PAUL QUEARY
The Associated Press
11/6/02 4:40 AM


SEATTLE (AP) -- With thousands of absentee ballots still in the mail, control of the Washington Legislature rested with a handful of House and Senate races that were too close to call Wednesday morning.

Democrats were leading in enough races to maintain control of the 98-member House, but 15 races were too close to call.

In the 49-member Senate, five races crucial to deciding which party would hold the majority were too close to call, and Democrats had to win at least one to keep control.

"I'm a little concerned," said incumbent Republican Sen. Bob Oke, locked in a dead heat with Democrat Betty Ringlee on the Kitsap Peninsula. "Who controls the Senate is going to be up in the air for a week or ten days, maybe more."

The District 26 race centered on Ringlee's criticism of Oke's support for toll bridges across the Tacoma Narrows.

In District 31, which covers part of King and Pierce counties, veteran Republican Pam Roach was leading Democratic challenger Yvonne Ward 52 percent to 48 percent with most of the vote counted except for late absentees. In a bitter campaign, Ward accused Roach of neglecting her Senate duties and Roach called Ward a liar.

In District 42, incumbent Democrat Georgia Gardner was leading Republican Dale Brandland, the longtime Whatcom County sheriff, 49 percent to 46 percent. Gardner had been expected to struggle against Brandland, who won the primary handily.

In District 44, GOP Rep. Dave Schmidt had 53 percent of the vote in a race with Democrat Phil Doerflein to succeed retiring Sen. Jeanine Long, R-Mill Creek.

In Spokane, Senate Minority Leader Jim West led Democrat Laurie Dolan, 52 percent to 48 percent with only late absentee ballots uncounted in a race that set records for legislative campaign spending and blanketed the city's airwaves with advertising.

In the House, fewer than two dozen races were competitive. Of those, Democrats were leading in 14 early Wednesday. If those trends continue, Democrats would hold 51 seats in the House, but 15 races were too close to call.

"It's too early to say for sure," cautioned House Speaker Frank Chopp, D-Seattle, "but it's looking good right now."

In Snohomish County, John McCoy, a Tulalip tribal official, was leading Republican Erv Hoglund for an open seat in District 38. Hoglund attacked McCoy over the tribe's tax advantage late in the campaign, a tactic denounced by Gov. Gary Locke as racist.

At least two incumbents appeared headed for defeat.

Rep. Jim Dunn, R-Vancouver, was trailing Democratic challenger Deb Wallace with much of the vote counted in the 17th District. In a battle of similar names from Pierce County, Democratic challenger Dawn Morrell was leading incumbent Republican Dave Morell.

Democrats were also trying to make inroads in open seats.

Democrat Judy Clibborn had a narrow lead over Republican Mike Wensman in the Mercer Island district long held by GOP Rep. Ida Ballasiotes, who retired this year.

Democrat Greg Markley and Republican Skip Priest were virtually tied for the Federal Way seat vacated this year by Republican Maryann Mitchell.

The party that wins the majority in each chamber gets the dubious honor of tackling the projected $2 billion hole in the two-year budget for the period beginning July 1. But that didn't discourage both parties -- or their backers among corporations, unions, professional groups and other special interests -- from campaigning hard and spending big.

Legislative candidates raised more than $14 million, and special interests spent roughly $1 million more on last-second advertisements and direct mail.

Hot proposals such as raising taxes, expanding gambling, limiting medical malpractice awards and reversing voter-approved cost-of-living raises for teachers could hinge on which party controls the House and Senate.

In recent years, control has seesawed between the parties, sometimes on a daily basis.

From 1999 through 2001, the House was split 49-49 until the tie was broken by a special election last year, giving Democrats a 50-48 advantage.

In the Senate, Democrats had a one-vote advantage, and that majority occasionally evaporated when maverick Democrat Tim Sheldon, D-Potlatch, sided with Republicans, giving the GOP a temporary one-vote majority.


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On the Net:

Election Results: http://www.vote.wa.gov