50 days out, Washington looks promising for Obama

With 50 days to go until Election Day 2008, it appears likely that Washington state's 11 electoral votes will go to the Democratic Candidate for President, Sen. Barack Obama. Though Obama leads Republican Sen. John McCain by a margin of only 4.7 in the most recent polls of the state (with 48.0 percent to Mccain's 43.3 percent), several important factors suggest that this trend will continue and strengthen.

Firstly, Washington state has voted Democratic in every election since 1984, when it supported Republicans Ronald Reagan and running mate George H. Bush over Democrats Mondale and Ferraro. The state's current governor, Christine Gregoire, is a democrat, as are its two US Senators, Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray. Additionally, Democrats in Washington make up about 75% of the total number of elected officials in the seperate categories of U.S. House Representatives, State Senators, and State Representatives. Washington's Democratic Primaries revealed a strong base of Obama supporters as the Illinois Senator emerged the clear victor with 66 percent of the vote, trailed by Sen. Hillary Clinton with 31 percent, and 1 percent voting otherwise. The result of the Republican Primaries was far less clear in the state, showing McCain coming in first with 26 percent, Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee a hardly-distant second with 24 percent, and dark-horse candidate Congressman Ron Paul of Texas almost as close behind with 22%. Washington's emphasized concern on environmental issues serves as another strong indicator of the likelihood of an Obama vote.