A duBious honoR 335
between 5,000 and 8,000 until the afternoon of Nov. 21 when the last
ballots were tallied, including 3,000 more than expected in King County.
Cantwell had won by about 1,900 votes—0.08 percent. State law required
a recount.
While Florida roiled, Washington State’s photo-finish was drama
free—save for the outcome on December 1. Cantwell, who was born the
year Gorton first won elective office, sent him into retirement by 2,229
votes out of nearly 2.5 million cast. He had carried 34 of the state’s 39
counties. Their votes weren’t quite enough to offset her 153,000 margin
in King.
Slade told Sally to keep the engine running. This wouldn’t take long.
“It’s a dubious honor to come in second in what must have been the
closest major election in our state’s history,” Gorton told reporters as his
staff looked on in stunned resignation. “And the stress on my outstand-
ing staff, my family and myself of an election night that has lasted for
more than three weeks cannot be overstated.”^39
And that was that.
“It will take time to brush away the recent election—the view that he is
a throwback and has divided the state,” said Dan Evans. “He hasn’t di-
vided the state. But what he has done, in recent years, is to try to represent
that there is more to this state than Seattle.”^40
whigALe n Ry deMocRAts denounced Green Party candidate Ralph Nader
as a spoiler in the amazingly close presidential race, Washington State
Republicans pointed to the 64,734 votes won by the Libertarian in their
Senate contest. “In a race that close there are a gazillion small reasons
that end up costing you victory, but without Jeff Jared, Slade would have
won,” says Tony Williams, who took the loss even harder than Gorton.
Slade is like a second father to him; McGavick and Vander Stoep like
brothers.
The Libertarian; the gold mine ads perfectly timed to mobilize Demo-
crats; those 9,000 new Indian voters; The Times’ endorsement of Cant-
well. It all hurt.
Bitter that Gorton had helped Bush win a crucial victory in Washing-
ton’s presidential primary, McCain boasted later that his unwillingness to
campaign for Slade also contributed to his defeat. (Observing that “in
politics, one important characteristic is selective amnesia,” Gorton says
he didn’t ask for McCain’s help.)
Gorton believes the last straw was the disclosure four days before the
election that Bush had been arrested for drunken driving in 1976. Karl