Christine Gregoire
Christine O'Grady "Chris" Gregoire (b. March 24, 1947) is a former Democratic governor of the State of Washington. She was first elected in 2004 and re-elected in 2008.
Her 2004 election opponent, Republican Dino Rossi, had appeared to defeat Gregoire on Election Day and after a first recount conducted by machine. However, following a second hand recount, Gregoire was declared the winner of the election. She became Washington's second female governor.
Gregoire announced on June 13, 2011, that she would not seek re-election in 2012. She cited personal reasons, saying in a press release, "I know it's the right decision for me and my family."[1] She was succeeded by Jay Inslee (D), who won election on November 6, 2012.
Biography
Gregoire was raised in Auburn, Washington by her mother, who worked as a short-order cook. Gregoire graduated from Auburn High School and the University of Washington. She worked in the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services before returning to school to earn her law degree from Gonzaga University.[2]
After law school, Gregoire clerked for the Spokane attorney general and went on to work as an assistant attorney general in the office of state Attorney General Slade Gorton. 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.
Education
- B.A. and teaching certificate, speech and sociology, University of Washington (1969)
- Alumna of Kappa Delta sorority
- J.D., Gonzaga University (1977)
Political career
Washington Governor (2005 - 2013)
Gregoire was first elected to the position of Governor of Washington in 2004 and won re-election in 2008.
Her 2004 election opponent, Republican Dino Rossi, had appeared to defeat Gregoire on Election Day and after a first recount conducted by machine. However, following a second hand recount, Gregoire was declared the winner of the election. She became Washington's second female governor.
Gregoire announced on June 13, 2011, that she would not seek re-election in 2012. She cited personal reasons, saying in a press release, "I know it's the right decision for me and my family."[1] She was succeeded by Jay Inslee (D), who won election on November 6, 2012.
Issues
Affordable Care Act
In December 2012, Gregoire declined to enter Washington into the federal health-exchange system established under the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare, in favor of setting up a state-based system.[3] Washington was one of eighteen states — including Colorado, New York, New Mexico, and Oregon — that decided to create and run individual health-exchange systems by the December 14, 2012, deadline.[3][4]
Judicial appointments
As governor, Gregoire was responsible for appointing judges to Washington state courts. In Washington, the governor makes a judicial appointment to fill a vacancy. Following the appointment, the new judge must run for the seat in the next general election. For a list of all of Gregoire's appointees, see here.
Washington Attorney General (1993-2005)
Chris Gregoire was elected to three terms as the Washington attorney general and was the first woman to be elected to the position in the state.
Washington Dept. of Ecology (1988-1992)
Gregoire served as the director of the Washington Department of Ecology from 1988 until 1992.
Elections
2012
Gregoire announced on June 13, 2011, that she would not seek re-election in 2012. She cited personal reasons, saying in a press release, "I know it's the right decision for me and my family."[1] She was succeeded by Jay Inslee (D), who won election on November 6, 2012.
2008
General
In the state's general election Gregoire faced Dino Rossi. According to reports, the election was expected to be a close call. Gregoire ended up defeating Rossi with 53% of the vote.
| Governor of Washington, 2008 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Christine Gregoire Incumbent |
53.2% | 1,598,738 | |
| Republican | Dino Rossi | 46.8% | 1,404,124 | |
| Total Votes | 3,002,862 | |||
Primary
Gregoire won the state's first top two primary on August 19, 2008, with 49% of the vote.
2004
General
| Governor of Washington, 2004 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Christine Gregoire |
48.9% | 1,373,361 | |
| Republican | Dino Rossi | 48.9% | 1,373,228 | |
| Libertarian | Ruth Bennett | 2.3% | 63,464 | |
| Total Votes | 2,810,053 | |||
| Election results via Washington Secretary of State | ||||
Primary
Gregoire defeated Ron Sims and four other minor candidates in the primary election on September 14, 2004.
2000
On November 7, 2000, Christine Gregoire won re-election to the office of Washington Attorney General. She defeated Richard Pope (R), Richard Shepherd (L), Stan Lippmann (NM) and Luanne Coachman (NL) in the general election.
| Washington Attorney General, 2000 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Christine Gregoire Incumbent |
56% | 1,292,887 | |
| Republican | Richard Pope | 38.2% | 883,002 | |
| Libertarian | Richard Shepherd | 3.9% | 90,941 | |
| NM | Stan Lippmann | 0.8% | 19,120 | |
| NL | Luanna Coachman | 1% | 23,685 | |
| Total Votes | 2,309,635 | |||
| Election results via Washington Secretary of State. | ||||
Campaign finance summary
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Awards
In 2007, Governing magazine named Gregoire as one of nine "Public Officials of the Year" for her bipartisan approach as speaker in addressing the Colorado's budget problems.[5] Other honorees included Houston Mayor Bill White and Speaker Fabian Núñez of the California State Assembly. Each year since 1994, Governing has selected a handful of state and local officials to honor for standout job performance. The Public Officials of the Year program "recognizes leaders from state, city and county government who exemplify the ideals of public service."[6]
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Gregoire, born Christine O'Grady, was raised in Auburn, Washington. Gregoire has lived in a suburb of Olympia called Lacey with her husband Mike. Gregoire has two daughters, Courtney (1979) and Michelle (1982). Both daughters graduated from of Olympia High School in Olympia, Washington.
See also
External links
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Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The Washington Governor's website, "Gov. Gregoire's statement on future plans," June 13, 2011
- ↑ Washington Governor, "About Chris," accessed January 16, 2012
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 The New York Times, "Most Governors Refuse to Set Up Health Exchanges," December 14, 2012
- ↑ The Daily Times, "Governor Susana Martinez to tackle state-based health exchange," January 9, 2013
- ↑ Jonathan Walters, Governing, "Christine O. Gregoire," 2007
- ↑ Market Wired, "GOVERNING Announces 2012 Public Officials of the Year," October 19, 2012
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