Christine Gregoire
22nd Governor of Washington
Incumbent
Assumed office  January 12, 2005
Lieutenant(s)	Brad Owen
Preceded by	Gary Locke
Succeeded by	Incumbent
Born	March 24, 1947 (1947-03-24) (age 60) Auburn, Washington
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Mike Gregoire
Profession	Lawyer
Religion	Roman Catholic

Christine O'Grady "Chris" Gregoire (born March 24, 1947) is the Democratic governor of the U.S. state of Washington. Gregoire's election to the office in 2004 was notable for her historically slim margin of victory over Republican Dino Rossi, who had appeared to defeat Gregoire on election day and after a first recount conducted by machine, until a second hand recount resulted in a reversal of the outcome in her favor.^[1] She is Washington's second female governor. This is a list of governors of the U.S. state of Washington. ... The incumbent, in politics, is the current holder of a political office. ... January 12 is the 12th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Lieutenant Governor of Washington is a public office to which a person is elected to. ... Brad Owen (born 1950) is an American politician. ... Gary F. Locke (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: , born January 21, 1950 in Seattle, Washington) was the Democratic governor of Washington (1997-2005), and the first Chinese American governor in United States history. ... March 24 is the 83rd day of the year (84th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1947 calendar). ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Source: http://www. ... Auburn is a city of 40,314 located in the U.S. state of Washington, in King County, with some spill-over into Pierce County. ... This article needs additional references or sources to facilitate its verification. ... English barrister 16th century painting of a civil law notary, by Flemish painter Quentin Massys. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      The Roman Catholic Church... March 24 is the 83rd day of the year (84th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1947 calendar). ... This article needs additional references or sources to facilitate its verification. ... For other uses, see Governor (disambiguation). ... Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Counties/Parishes/Boroughs, Cities, and Towns Other countries Politics Portal      A U.S. state is any one of the fifty subnational entities of... Official language(s) English Capital Olympia Largest city Seattle Area  Ranked 18th  - Total 71,342 sq mi (184,827 km²)  - Width 240 miles (385 km)  - Length 360 miles (580 km)  - % water 6. ... 2004 Gubernatorial Election County Map of Washington. ... The Republican Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States of America, along with the Democratic Party. ... Dino Rossi Dino Rossi (born October 15, 1959 in Seattle, Washington, USA) is a former Washington State Senator and the Republican nominee for Governor of Washington in the historically close 2004 election. ...  Female Republican Governor  Female Democratic Governor  Female Republican and Democratic Governor Twenty-seven women have been or are currently serving as the governor an American state, including two in an acting capacity. ...

Personal

Gregoire, born Christine O'Grady, was raised in Auburn, Washington by her mother, Sybil O. Jacob, who raised Gregoire alone after leaving an abusive marriage shortly after the future governor's birth. Gregoire grew up on a small farm in Auburn, at the time a rural community, helping care for the crops and livestock and working as a cook in town. Gregoire attended the University of Washington, graduating in 1969 with a teaching certificate and a bachelor's degree in speech and sociology. She is an alumna of Kappa Delta sorority, where she served as the chapter's president. In her campaign for governor in 2004 she would be criticized for maintaining the sorority's policy of admitting only white, Christian women. After college she worked as a clerk-typist, and later as a welfare fraud investigator for the state Department of Social and Health Services, where she met her future husband, Mike Gregoire. ^[2][3] Auburn is a city of 40,314 located in the U.S. state of Washington, in King County, with some spill-over into Pierce County. ... The University of Washington, founded in 1861, is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. ... For the Stargate SG-1 episode, see 1969 (Stargate SG-1). ... A bachelors degree (Artium Baccalaureus, A.B. or B.A.) is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course or major that generally lasts for three, four, or in some cases and countries, five or six years. ... Kappa Delta (ΚΔ) is a sorority founded at the State Female Normal School, now Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia. ...

Chris Gregoire attended law school at Gonzaga University in Spokane, graduating in 1977, and went to work as an assistant attorney general in the office of state Attorney General Slade Gorton, a Republican. As an assistant attorney general, Gregoire concentrated on child-abuse cases, coordinating with social workers to get children removed from abusive family situations and placed with relatives or foster homes. The Gregoires' first child, Courtney, was born in 1979; a second daughter died within hours of birth in 1981. A third daughter, Michelle, was born in 1982.^[2] // A law school is an institution where future lawyers obtain legal degrees. ... Gonzaga University is a private Catholic university located in Spokane, Washington. ... Slade Gorton Thomas Slade Gorton III (born January 8, 1928) is an American politician. ...

When not in Olympia, Gregoire lives in the nearby suburb of Lacey with her husband Mike; the couple also spends part of most summers at a cabin on the shores of Hayden Lake, Idaho that the family bought in 1979. Their two daughters, Courtney and Michelle, are both graduates of Olympia High School in Olympia, Washington.^[2][3] Lacey is a city located in Thurston County, Washington. ... Hayden Lake is a city in Kootenai County, Idaho, United States. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Coordinates: County Thurston County Incorporated January 28, 1859  - Mayor Mark Foutch Area    - City 48. ...

In 2003, she was diagnosed with breast cancer in an early stage after a routine check-up and a mammogram. She had surgery and recovered to good health. She mentions her fight with cancer in speeches about health care.^[4] Breast cancer is cancer of breast tissue. ...

Director of Washington Department of Ecology

She served as the director of the Washington Department of Ecology from 1988 until 1992, when she was first elected attorney general, a post to which she was twice re-elected. While Ecology director she negotiated a three party agreement in 1989 with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy to clean up waste at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. As attorney general she sued several times to try to get a more adequate cleanup job. Congress has not appropriated a sufficient level of funding to allow the pace of activity anticipated by the original agreement, now estimated to require a total of $50 to $100 billion. Dissatisfaction with the slow pace of cleanup led to a successful initiative in 2004 that requires the refusal of new waste shipments until past cleanup promises are back on track. EPA redirects here. ... The United States Department of Energy (DOE) is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government responsible for energy policy and nuclear safety. ... Hanford Site plutonium production reactors along the Columbia River during the Manhattan Project. ... Type Bicameral Houses Senate House of Representatives United States Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D since January 4, 2007 Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D since January 4, 2007 Members 535 plus 4 Delegates and 1 Resident Commissioner Political groups (as of November 7, 2006 elections) Democratic Party Republican... In political science, the initiative (also known as popular or citizens initiative) provides a means by which a petition signed by a certain minimum number of registered voters can force a public vote on a proposed statute, constitutional amendment, charter amendment or ordinance. ...

Washington Attorney General

Chris Gregoire was elected to three terms as attorney general and was the first woman to be elected to the position in Washington. During her time in office, she worked on children's issues, reformed the state's juvenile system, led an effort to strengthen identity theft victims' rights, worked to pass a new ethics law for state government and to find alternatives to litigation in resolving legal disputes. Her office, in conjunction with other state attorneys general, investigated and sued drug companies for allegedly violating antitrust laws concerning manipulation of the price and availability of prescription drugs.^[3]

Gregoire was also heavily involved in the lawsuit against the tobacco industry in the 1990s and won the state a $4.5 billion share of the settlement, including a $500 million bonus for her lead role. In recognition of her leadership in the fight against the tobacco industry, Tobacco-Free Kids Action Fund campaigned on her behalf in 2004 and stated "There isn’t a stronger tobacco control leader anywhere in the Country than Chris Gregoire".^[5] Gregoire was also critical of a later securitization of the tobacco industry settlement to fill a budget gap in the 2002 state budget.^[6] The tobacco industry comprises those persons and companies engaged in the growth, preparation for sale, shipment, advertisement, and distribution of tobacco and tobacco-related products. ... The Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) was an agreement between the largest tobacco companies and 46 U.S. States reached in 1998. ... Securitization is a financing process in which a corporate entity moves assets to an ostensibly bankruptcy-remote vehicle to obtain lower interest rates from potential lenders--because the assets cannot be seized in a bankruptcy proceeding, the risk is less for lenders and they are willing to offer a lower...

She was also critical in preventing the Republican controlled House from diverting $90 million of the state's share of the money into the general fund, leaving only $2.5 million ear-marked for tobacco related issues.^[7]

Controversy arose in 2000 when Gregoire's office failed to file documents on time in an appeal of a record $17.8 million personal-injury verdict against Washington state. Though it was unclear as to who misplaced the files, Gregoire was said to have tried every possible way to ensure that her name would not be tied in a bad way to the accident. An independent investigation forced state attorney Janet Capps to resign. Capps later sued the state for wrongful termination. Documents from the independent investigation show that Gregoire's deputies attempted to influence the report by downplaying broad management problems in the office.^[8] In 2002, during a wrongful death lawsuit against the state, Gregoire’s office did not detect an error in jury instructions; the state was eventually hit with a $22.4 million judgment as a result of that lawsuit. While Gregoire was not directly in charge of these cases, as Attorney General she was ultimately responsible for them.

2004 election

Main article: Washington gubernatorial election, 2004

Gregoire defeated Ron Sims and four other minor candidates in the primary election on September 14, 2004. Sims campaigned on the need for tax reform. Gregoire performed relatively poorly among blacks and liberal whites, which is likely due to Sims' ethnicity and questions about her participation in a college sorority. 2004 Gubernatorial Election County Map of Washington. ... Ron Sims, born in 1948, is currently the King County Executive. ... September 14 is the 257th day of the year (258th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... shelby was here 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

During the general election against former state senator and real estate agent Dino Rossi, Gregoire proposed a major initiative in life sciences, especially stem cell research. She was criticized for being a part of the Olympia establishment but tried to counter the "time for a change" message by saying she would "blow past the bureaucracy" and bring change herself. This language surprised and disappointed many of her colleagues and supporters. She was also criticized for failing to give much mention or credit to the efforts and achievements of past Democratic governors while touting her own public service. Dino Rossi Dino Rossi (born October 15, 1959 in Seattle, Washington, USA) is a former Washington State Senator and the Republican nominee for Governor of Washington in the historically close 2004 election. ... Mouse embryonic stem cells with fluorescent marker. ...

Vote count dispute

The election was held on November 2, 2004. The initial count showed her trailing Rossi by 261 votes; however, a legally mandated machine recount diminished that lead to only 42 votes. On December 3, the Democratic Party requested and funded a hand recount which gave Gregoire a 10-vote lead. They also filed a motion in the state Supreme Court to request that rejected ballots from King County that were not counted previously be reevaluated. A Pierce County Superior Court judge ruled that ballots should not be counted, but on December 22, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the rejected King County ballots should be counted. Of those 732 ballots, 566 were accepted as having valid signatures and were added to the existing total on December 23. The final results of the hand count, as of December 23,^[9] had Christine Gregoire ahead by 130 votes, solidifying the 10-vote lead she had before the previously rejected King County ballots were tabulated. On December 30, Republican Secretary of State Sam Reed certified Gregoire as the winner by 129 votes (he removed one vote which had been counted in Thurston County past the deadline). November 2 is the 306th day of the year (307th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 59 days remaining. ... shelby was here 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 3 is the 337th (in leap years the 338th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... King County redirects here; you may be looking for King County, Texas. ... December 22 is the 356th day of the year (357th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... December 23 is the 357th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (358th in leap years). ... December 23 is the 357th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (358th in leap years). ... December 30 is the 364th day of the year (365th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 1 day remaining. ... Sam Reed is an American politician. ... Thurston County is a county located in the state of Washington. ...

The GOP claimed they knew of military voters overseas who had never received ballots from King County, saying that "wounded soldiers in Fallujah" had the right to vote and bringing forth veterans to confront King County election officials; King County election director Dean Logan disputed the charge, asserting that all the absentee ballots were sent on time, including ballots to military voters. The GOP then claimed that military voters registered in Snohomish County had not received ballots, and that King County officials allowed felons to vote. Election officials in Snohomish and King County disputed these latest charges as well. Republicans said they would use the courts to block any final election results, possibly even going to the federal courts by citing the equal protection clause in the US Constitution, or having a new vote. Gregoire's victory was certified in late December, making this the first time in Washington state history that a recount reversed an election result, and making Washington the first state with a female governor and two female US senators (Patty Murray, Maria Cantwell). Snohomish County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. ... Wikisource has original text related to this article: Constitution of the United States of America Page one of the original copy of the Constitution. ... Patricia Lynn Murray (known as Patty Murray) (born October 11, 1950) is a Democratic United States Senator from Washington. ... Maria E. Cantwell (born October 13, 1958) is the junior United States Senator from Washington state and is a member of the Democratic Party. ...

Republicans continued to dispute election accuracy in a case in the Superior Court for Chelan County, one of the most conservative counties in the state. They hoped to have Gregoire's election invalidated in time for a revote in 2006. On June 6, 2005, Judge John E. Bridges criticized election methods, noted that there was evidence that 1,678 votes had been illegally cast throughout the state, found that the only evidence submitted to show how those votes had been cast were sworn statements from four persons that they had voted for Rossi, subtracted those four votes from Rossi's total and upheld the election.^{[10] [11]}. This brought the official margin of victory for Gregoire to 133. Rossi did not appeal. Chelan County is a county located in the state of Washington. ... June 6 is the 157th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (158th in leap years), with 208 days remaining in the year. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... John E. Bridges is a Chelan County Superior Court Judge in Washington state. ...

Washington Governor

Gregoire has been the governor for two years and has passed several pieces of major legislation.

Transportation policy

The first legislative session ended with Gregoire brokering new bipartisan transportation legislation.^[12] The package included a 9.5-cent-a-gallon gas-tax increase to help repair many roads in Washington, particularly around Seattle area, such as the Alaskan Way Viaduct, Interstate 405, and the Route 520 bridge. This proposal was initially rejected by the House but then passed with a re-vote the final day of the 2005 session. City nickname Emerald City City bird Great Blue Heron City flower Dahlia City mottos The City of Flowers The City of Goodwill City song Seattle, the Peerless City Mayor Greg Nickels County King County Area   - Total   - Land   - Water   - % water 369. ... The Alaskan Way Viaduct, looking southeast // The Alaskan Way Viaduct, completed on April 4, 1953, is an elevated section of Washington State Route 99 that runs along the Elliott Bay waterfront in Seattles Industrial District and downtown Seattle. ... Map of Interstate 405 Interstate 405 (abbreviated I-405) in Washington is a 30-mile loop route that bypasses Seattle east of Lake Washington. ... Legend Washington State Routes < Route 519 Route 522 > Washington State Route 520 is a freeway in the state of Washington, U.S.A. It extends 12. ...

The tax package was met with mixed reviews. While she was praised widely by Democratic and Republican leaders of the House and Senate for her leadership skills regarding passing this deal, several state legislators disagreed with the merits of the tax. Their reasons included the heavy emphasis on funding Seattle area projects and the already high price of gas. An initiative to repeal the tax, Measure No. 912, was a part of the November 2005 ballot, but was rejected by the voters. In political science, the initiative (also known as popular or citizens initiative) provides a means by which a petition signed by a certain minimum number of registered voters can force a public vote on a proposed statute, constitutional amendment, charter amendment or ordinance. ... Initiative Measure No. ...

Gay rights

One notable bill that failed in the 2005 session but subsequently passed in the 2006 session was a gay civil rights bill, expanding the scope of protected classes to include sexual orientation and gender identity in cases of discrimination. The bill was signed by Gregoire on January 31, 2006. GAY can mean: Gay, a term referring to homosexual men or women The IATA code for Gaya Airport Category: ... Civil rights or positive rights are those legal rights retained by citizens and protected by the government. ... Sexual orientation refers to the direction of an individuals sexuality, normally conceived of as falling into several significant categories based around the sex or gender that the individual finds attractive. ... This does not cite any references or sources. ... Manifestations Slavery · Racial profiling · Lynching Hate speech · Hate crime · Hate groups Genocide · The Holocaust · Armenian Genocide · Pogrom Ethnocide · Ethnic cleansing · Race war Religious persecution · Gay bashing Blood libel · Black Legend Pedophobia · Ephebiphobia Movements Discriminatory Aryanism · Neo-Nazism · Ku Klux Klan National Party (South Africa) American Nazi Party Kahanism · Supremacism Anti... January 31 is the 31st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

Governor Gregoire signed a law on April 21, 2007 granting same-sex couples domestic partnership rights. April 21 is the 111th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (112th in leap years). ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the CE era. ... A domestic partnership (known as Pairage) is a legal or personal relationship between individuals who live together and share a common domestic life but are not joined in a traditional marriage or a civil union. ...

2006 legislative session agenda

Gregoire's agenda for the 2006 legislative session includes:

• implementing education reforms based on the non-partisan Washington Learns committee, including ^[13]
  • early childhood education programs.
  • implementing international standards for math and the sciences.
  • increasing slots for high-demand fields, such as nursing sciences, engineering, and the teaching of math and sciences.
  • education needs to prepare for the global market.
  • accountability standards for evaluation of program effectiveness.
• making school levy approval contingent on a majority of voter support, rather than a 60% super-majority.^[13]
• assessing the fiscal viability of two Seattle transportation projects (replacing the Alaska Way Viaduct with a new viaduct or a tunnel and replacing the Route 520 Bridge.)^[13]
• budgeting the $1.4 billion surplus in the state budget and setting aside a portion for a rainy day fund.^[13]
• assisting those who can't afford the rising costs of home heating fuels.^[14]
• funding biofuel and biodiesel research.^[14]
• funding emergency preparedness tsunami and seismic activity warnings systems.^[14]
• investing in the cleanup of Puget Sound.^[14]
• improving health care by tackling rising health care costs and lack of quality issues.^[14]

Popularity

Gregoire began office with low approval ratings, however, her popularity has since recovered. A Survey USA poll taken in December, 2006 showed Gregoire with a 55% approval rating.^[15] SurveyUSA is a polling firm in the United States. ...

Electoral History

The Democratic Party is one of the two major United States political parties. ... This article is about the modern United States Republican Party. ... Dino Rossi Dino Rossi (born October 15, 1959 in Seattle, Washington, USA) is a former Washington State Senator and the Republican nominee for Governor of Washington in the historically close 2004 election. ... The Libertarian Party is a United States political party created in 1971. ... Categories: People stubs | Libertarians ...

References

1. ^ [1]
2. ^ ^{a b c} Roesler, Richard. "Gregoire aggressive in conflict; Democratic candidate for governor." The Spokesman-Review (Spokane, Wash.), Oct. 20, 2004.
3. ^ ^{a b c} http://www.governor.wa.gov/about/ . Retrieved June 8, 2006.
4. ^ [2]
5. ^ [3]
6. ^ [4]
7. ^ [5]
8. ^ [6]
9. ^ [7]
10. ^ [8]
11. ^ [9]
12. ^ McGann, Chris. "Gregoire: First the victory, now the triumphs." Seattle Post-Intelligencer, May 7, 2005 retrieved May 7, 2005.
13. ^ ^{a b c d} Weekday, program on November 20, 2006, KUOW radio.
14. ^ ^{a b c d e} Allen, Lynn. "Breeze at her back - Interview with Chris Gregoire" Evergreen Politics (blog), Retrieved November 20, 2006.
15. ^ [10]

• "Tribes are asked to end casino smoking" by Joel Connelly, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, December 9, 2005 retrieved December 9, 2005.
• State of the State speech, 2005.

The Spokesman-Review is a daily newspaper based in Spokane, Washington and is the citys only daily publication. ... The daily Seattle Post-Intelligencer is the second leading newspaper in Seattle, Washington, United States. ... KUOW-FM (94. ...

External links

• Washington Governor Christine Gregoire official state site
• National Governors Association - Washington Governor Chris Gregoire biography
• Follow the Money - Christine O Gregoire 2004 campaign contributions
• On the Issues - Christine Gregoire issue positions and quotes
• Project Vote Smart - Governor Christine Gregoire (WA) profile