As the votes continue to be counted (although it's pretty well done and almost all races have been decided, locally there are a few absentee ballots that are still being counted), I have noted that for the first time in a decade or so, all of the candidates I voted for have won!! In fact, with the exception of one King County proposition about which I was ambivalent and voted against, everything I voted for won and everything I voted against was defeated.

Probably the nastiest campaign in Washington State was waged by Dino Rossi, Republican, challenging the incumbent governor, Christine Gregoire. Last night, ABC, NBC. CBS, and the Associated Press declared Gregoire the winner, but Rossi refused to concede. Finally, this afternoon, he did. His concession sounded a bit like one of his political speeches, but he did manage to congratulate her on her victory, and said, through gritted teeth, that he would pray for her.

On the east side of Lake Washington, the race between Democrat Darcy Burner, running for Congress against three term Republican incumbent Dave Reichert, is still too close to call. I hope Burner takes it, but it's not in my legistlative district, so I couldn't vote on that one.

From most of the news I've heard today—the response from all over the world, and learning that there was dancing in the streets not only here in Seattle (in addition to the huge crowd at the Pike Place Market, some 4,000 people just a few blocks from where I live here on Capitol Hill), but all over the country—I'm feeling pretty good. We may make it after all!

Don Firth