With all but three of Washington's 39 counties reporting, a statewide recount appears to be affirming a narrow Senate victory by Democrat Maria Cantwell over Republican incumbent Slade Gorton. A Democratic victory would put the U.S. Senate in a 50-50 tie. However, Republicans would still hold an advantage under a George W. Bush presidency since the vice president breaks ties in Senate votes. By Thursday night, Cantwell led Gorton by 1,957 votes. The recount was expected to be finished Friday.
State law requires a machine recount whenever the margin is less than half a percent.
King, Pierce, and Douglas counties have yet to finish their recounts, which started Monday. The ballots were all inspected before the first count, so the recount simply involves running them through the machine again. The deadline is Dec. 7. Gorton was ahead in the race until the absentee ballots from King County, the state's most populous county, which includes Seattle, put Cantwell over the top, apparently unseating the three-term incumbent. Two other close races for the state House are also on the line in King County, and, like in the U.S. Senate race, if the recount affirms the initial winners, the state House will be locked in a tie.