I'm kind of surprised people have such strong intuitions about Spokane. It's seen very little minority growth (it's still 89% white) and is pretty damn average in terms of its voter base. The growth areas are also quite Republican. It was very close in 2008, but I don't see any other reasons for it to be a candidate.
Yep. Personally I think depressed voter turnout for blue-collar workers could alone tilt Spokane to Obama. Also the county has been swinging left and right for the last decade or so (especially in mayoral elections).
