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A boistrous crowd of Democratic faithful at the Westin Hotel in Seattle tonight celebrated projections that Washington state contributed to Sen. Barack Obama’s historic victory over Sen. John McCain in the strength for president.

In other soon returns, Gov. Christine Gregoire took a razor-thin lead against challenger Dino Rossi in a rematch of what four years ago became the closest election for governor in U.S. history.

Also in early totals, state voters were favoring a measure to allow assisted suicide, favoring a measure requiring education and licensing of long-term care workers, and turning down each initiative to liberalize HOV lanes to all traffic in “off-peak” hours.

Incumbents were faring well in greatest number state offices.

Sound Transit’session $17.9 billion judge of to extend light rail and add else train and bus service, was ahead in timely returns.

Property-tax increases to fund new and improved parks in Seattle and Bellevue were leading in early returns, as well as a levy to make basic renovations to Pike Place Market.

In the 8th Congressional District, expected to be the hottest congressional race in the state, Democratic Darcy Burner took any early lead in her rematch against incumbent Republican Dave Reichert.

The superintendent’session stock, in which Rossi and Gregoire combined to spend to a greater degree than $23.6 million, was widely anticipated to be close. In 2004, the lead seesawed back and forth with Rossi chief after the initial count and a machine enumerate, and Gregoire anger the guide after a second recount, done by the agency of hand.

The final square in that election — through Gregoire winning by 133 votes, out of more than 2.8 million cast — wasn’t officer until a ruling by a Chelan County judge in June 2005.

In today’session election, more than 83 percent of the state’sitting 3.6 million registered voters likely voted, said Secretary of State Sam Reed. He said it’s possible, once the decisive totals are in, that turnout determine surpass the state’s record of 84.5 percent, set in 1944.

“Clearly a lot of it is the presidential race,” Reed said. “People are true passionate about it, one way or the other. We possess in no degree incumbent president so it’s wide open, and we’ll consider either the at the outset African-American president or the first woman vice president.”

Turnout was also boosted, Reed said, by the close-fitting governor’s race and the fact that 37 of the state’s 39 counties cast mail-in ballots, with only King and Pierce counties still operating polling places. Eighty percent of all votes statewide in today’s election were expected to be cast by mail.

“If you have that ballot sitting there at your abiding-place, you’re more likely to lay it in the mailed matter than go to a polling place,” Reed said. But he added that both King and Pierce counties saw “robust voter turnout” today, a fact that could boost statewide participation to account levels.

Jack Broom: 206-464-2222 or jbroom@seattletimes.com