Rossi won't continue with legal appeals over failed bid for Washington State Governorship

June 7, 2005

Republican Dino Rossi, Washington State Gubernatorial Candidate in the 2004 election, said that he will not appeal the decision made today in Chelan County Superior Court by John Bridges after he ruled that the Republicans failed to prove Rossi would have won the election if illegitimate votes were not counted. “Unless an election is clearly invalid, when the people have spoken their verdict should not be disturbed by the courts,” said Bridges in his verdict. With the appeals over the closest gubernatorial race in U.S. history has finally ended.

“It’s an emotional day, it’s an emotional moment,” said Washington Governor Christine Gregoire. “I’m ready to move on. I want the state of Washington to be served by a full-time governor who is not being distracted by anything other than serving the citizens.” Bridges said he believed that 1,678 illegal votes were cast in the election, but Republicans didn’t prove those votes changed the outcome of the election, and that the only vote that was proved to be illegally cast for the governor’s race was one cast for Libertarian Ruth Bennett and four more cast for Rossi, ultimately still giving Gregoire a 133-vote margin.

Any registered voter of Washington State could still file paperwork to recall the election; however, they would have to prove Gregoire got in office illegally and get several signatures for it to appear on a ballot.