No one is shocked by a poll showing a close race between Washington State Governor Christine Gregoire, a Democrat, and former Republican State Senator Dino Rossi. After a 130-vote win in 2006, Gregoire is facing another tough challenge from Rossi.

The Strategic Vision survey was conducted 7/25-27 among 800 likely voters for a margin of error of +/- 3%. Gregoire and Rossi were tested.

General Election Matchup
Gregoire.......47
Rossi............45

Obama..........48
McCain..........37

After such a contentious race four years ago, the Evergreen State is closely divided between the two candidates. 48% approve of Gregoire's performance as governor while 45% disapprove, and though Gregoire has generally gotten good reviews from local media, she may run into trouble as the incumbent, as just 26% say the state of Washington is headed in the right direction, while 65% say it's going in the wrong direction.