LD35

Votes are still coming in via the U.S. Mail causing leads to shrink and expand all over the state.

In the governor's race, Dino Rossi has cut Chris Gregoire's lead by a point after two more days of returns, from a four point deficit to what is now 48.8 percent for Gregoire and 45.7 percent for the Republican. He has also erased Gregoire's lead in the two Eastern Washington counties she once held, Spokane and Asotin.

Rossi has also take over Clark and Cowlitz Counties, making the updated Spokesman-Review map look a lot more red

Although voters have had a chance to breath with Tuesday's "top two" primary fully out of the way and early August's hot weather long gone, such is not the case for all of the candidates seeking legislative positions here in Washington. With votes continuing to come into county auditors by mail, the outcome of a handfulof races across the state are still up in the air.

In the 8th Legislative District, a normally Republican House seat long held by the retiring Rep. Shirley Hankins (R-Richland), the sole Democrat in the race, Carol Moser, is the only candidate so far to ensure her spot in the general election. That is because the Republican side of the primary was crowded with four candidates who split the vote almost equally.

With the state's "top two" primary coming up in just over two weeks, August and advertising go together like checks and envelopes at a campaign kickoff party. In addition to all the ads that have gone up lately, here is a rundown of who else is buying time on the airwaves to spread their message.

Governor Chris Gregoire is up with two new spots in Eastern Washington, called "Understanding Spokane" and "Understanding Yakima". The two ads are essentially the same, touting dry side roots and Eastern Washington-specific job growth as well as farm and water policies enacted under Gregoire, but differ when talking about where Gregoire spent time earlier in her life.

The three candidates from Kitsap Peninsula's  35th Legislative District, Rep. Kathy Haigh (D-Shelton), Brad Gehring (R-Bremerton) and Marco Brown (R-Belfair), met Wednesday to discuss campaign issues at an Eggs & Issues event sponsored by the Bremerton Area Chamber of Commerce, the Kitsap Sun reports.

Haigh emphasized her signature issue, support for education, by highlighting the need for government to push for better access to post-high school opportunities for young people.

Both Brown and Gehring, meanwhile, tried to establish themselves as the candidate for the common man in part by calling for tax relief.

The past few days have seen a slew of challengers step up for state House and Senate seats here In Washington.

Here is a quick rundown of what is the what.