Four years ago, 129 voters decided one of the closest elections in U.S. history in Washington state. Democrat Chris Gregoire eventually won the governor's mansion after two recounts extended the race 51 days beyond Election Day.

Her opponent in that race, Republican Dino Rossi, has challenged her to a rematch this year, and many polls show the race virtually tied.

In 2004, Rossi, a commercial real estate broker and former state senator, seemingly won on election night by 261 votes. After a state-mandated machine recount, his lead shrunk to 42 votes. Gregoire, then the state Attorney General, requested a hand recount, as permitted by state rules. In late December, she was declared winner by 129 votes.

"I guarantee you there were more than 129 people who didn't vote in the last election," Rossi told supporters when he announced his 2008 candidacy. "And I want you, your help, to help me find those folks."

Politically, Washington is divided into the Democratic west and Republican east, with the Cascade Mountains acting as the rough dividing line. Of Washington's 39 counties, Gregoire won seven in 2004 -- all of them in the west.

"We have red state, blue state differences within our state, namely in very conservative parts of it," said Seattle Post-Intelligencer columnist Joel Connelly. "Eastern Washington voting up to 70 percent for Mr. Rossi; King County by contrast giving the majority to Ms. Gregoire by 150,000 votes."

Rossi is running on essentially the same platform as in 2004: attacking the state's spending, taxes and its response to traffic and congestion problems. He has promised not to raise taxes, to slash state spending, reduce its large deficit and divert funds from the state's general fund to pay for transportation projects.

Gregoire has received praise for starting the Puget Sound Partnership, a state agency established to protect the Puget Sound, and for improving health care options for minorities. And while she has been successful in starting regional transportation projects, traffic woes persist in the Seattle area.

Lately, Gregoire has faced questions about large political contributions from Washington's American Indian tribes and a deal allowing for expanded gambling on reservations without the usual revenue sharing with the state. The state GOP and state Democrats have called for an inquiry.

A Rasmussen Reports poll released June 11 showed that Rossi had narrowed Gregoire's lead to seven percentage points, with Gregoire at 50 percent. A similar poll in May had Rossi down by 11 points. The poll has a margin of error of 4.5 percent.

A SurveyUSA poll, also released in early June, shows Gregoire leading Rossi 50 percent to 47 percent. That poll's margin of error is 4 percent.

Gregoire could receive a boost from young and first-time voters heading to the polls for Sen. Barack Obama in the presidential election. As a super delegate, Gregoire threw her support behind Obama on the eve of Washington's primary in February. (Obama won easily, 68 percent over Sen. Hillary Clinton's 31 percent.)

In July, Obama's wife, Michelle, will visit the state to take part in a fundraising event for Gregoire. The presumptive Democratic nominee holds a roughly 15 point lead over Republican rival Sen. John McCain in the state.

Despite this, Rossi remains optimistic of his chances. Speaking to a group of realtors in late June, he said: "Rarely in life do you ever get a second chance at things that are truly important. With this race for governor, Washington gets a second chance."

-- By Tom LeGro, Online NewsHour