"After losing the first two counts in Washington's closest-ever race for governor, it appears Democrat Christine Gregoire has pulled even with ó or possibly overtaken ó Republican Dino Rossi on the final day of a contentious statewide manual recount," the Seattle Times reports.
The state Democratic Party chairman "said last night the party's calculations indicate that, with virtually all of the votes tallied, Gregoire is ahead by eight votes."
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer notes that "as with nearly every twist in this incredible race, the Democrats' victory claim left many questions unanswered -- including what effect today's Supreme Court hearing could have." The court will decide whether newly-discovered ballots, that were originally not counted, can in fact be counted.
Meanwhile, the Seattle Times says a brief filed in court draws parallels to the 1960 presidential race in Chicago and the political machine of Mayor Richard Daley.