Oregon Public Broadcasting

Washington Governor Chris Gregoire officially kicks off her re-election bid Monday with a statewide bus tour. Her presumptive opponent - Republican Dino Rossi - launched his campaign back in October. Both candidates have already amassed sizeable warchests for their rematch. Olympia Correspondent Austin Jenkins reports.
 
Gregoire will launch her campaign in her hometown of Auburn. Then she'll crisscross Washington in a bio-diesel bus making nine stops in four days - from Vancouver to Spokane.

Gregoire hits the campaign trail just days after she signed the last batch of bills from the 2008 legislative session. During the session she was prevented by law from dialing for dollars.

Despite that handicap, the Governor has already raised more than $4.5 million toward her re-election bid.

Campaign finance records show Rossi has raised nearly three million. He's been busy traveling Washington speaking to the Republican Party faithful. Rossi says his supporters are still fired up by his 133 vote loss to Gregoire in 2004. A Gregoire-Rossi rematch promises to be one of the most closely watched Governor's races this year.