The long story gets a little bit more complicated. Dino Rossi's campaign put out a press release yesterday saying:

if you subtract out-of-state dollars and contributions from state parties from both candidates' fundraising totals as of June 8th, Rossi has already raised more money than Gregoire - $5.188 million to $5.124 million.

That's the case since 16% of Christine Gregoire's dollars raised (in itemized-contributions that are publicly searchable) come from out-of-state. Another 10%, or nearly $700,000 has come to the campaign coffers via direct contributions from the state Democratic party. Rossi has only received $40,000 from the WSRP by comparison.

Now on a certain level cash is cash. If it is legally contributed, the campaign can spend it. On that score Gregoire is in great position. She has the cash to make her case to the voters and will not want for lack of support from state and national party organizations.

What shouldn't be directly comparable is party money being contributed to a campaign versus an independent organization setting up its own PAC structure to speak its mind about the Governor's race. Yet, that's what David Postman does in comparing Gregoire's party cash to the money BIAW is spending through ChangePAC to influence the race.

Postman is correct that you have to do an extra PDC search or two to figure out the ultimate source of funds in each case. The important distinction, however, is that candidates should be held directly accountable for money received and spent by their own campaigns. They cannot, in contrast, be primarily responsible for what no doubt will be a tide of independent expenditures on both sides of the aisle.

Such independent efforts will and should received public scrutiny. The candidates will embrace such efforts to varying degrees, ranging from publicly agreeing to perhaps even distancing themselves depending on the nature and content of certain third party efforts. What shouldn't happen is viewing a direct party contribution and an independent PAC expenditure as similar occurrences.

Meanwhile, while campaign cash all spends the same, Gregoire's gap in individual in-state contributors is an interesting one. She's obviously a formidable candidate, if for no other reason than raw fundraising and her multiple-win status as a candidate for statewide office. Yet, a Democratic incumbent in a very blue state shouldn't be getting out-raised among individual state voters - especially in this election year. It should be nigh impossible, in fact.

Just another indicator that the record-breaking fundraising pace by Gregoire and Rossi isn't the only way in which the politics of this race is breaking traditional molds.

Cross-posted at the Examiner.