Gregoire calls for the ability for the 'two Washingtons' to work together for change

TACOMA -- Chris Gregoire received a rollicking reception from the crowd of 12,000 at the Cheney Stadium rally for Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Joe Biden, stopping her speech short at one point to acknowledge a section of the crowd that was frantically waving to her from the right field bleachers.

Gregoire, somewhat surprisingly, spent much of her time on stage, about seven minutes, talking up the Obama-Biden ticket.

She said Obama hit it out of the ballpark when he chose Biden, who she said she had worked with while attorney general, and that he would be a vice president" each and every one of us can count on."

In terms of her own race, she said that having Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) in the White House would allow both Washingtons to work together and, in a nod to the large amount of cash being spent on behalf of Republican gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi by the Republican Governors Association and the Building Industry Association of Washington, said and Obama administration could help usher in an era where special interests were told, "Washington state and the governor's office is not for sale."

She also talked about the synergy between and Obama administration  and a Gregoire administration on issues like green energy, international respect, quality health care and education.

"Finally" Gregoire said, "we have a chance to have partners as we bring the kind of change we need to this great state."