We knew the Republican brand is in trouble, but this is just ridiculous. Two statewide Republican candidates in this year's elections in Washington state are choosing to run without that pesky R-word next to their names.

This was made possible by the recent adoption of a new electoral system for the state, known as "Top-Two." All candidates will run on the same ballot, and the top two will go to a runoff election, regardless of party. The tricky part is that each candidate will get to choose the party label next to their name.

All of this means a Republican can list himself as something else -- and one of the two candidates even acknowledged to us that he's doing so precisely because he knows the GOP brand is lethal.

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A new Rasmussen poll of Washington State shows that they're in for a very close gubernatorial race this year between first-term Democratic Governor Christine Gregoire and her 2004 Republican opponent Dino Rossi:

Gregoire (D) 47%
Rossi (R) 46%

Gregoire won the 2004 race by a final certified margin of only 129 votes, after intense legal wrangling over recounts.

Former state Sen. Dino Rossi (R-WA) will announce his plans to challenge Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire (D) next year.

Rossi lost a highly contentious bid to Gregoire in 2004 by a 133-vote margin, after a series of recounts and a court challenge tipped the election to the Democrat. Given the closeness of their previous match-up, observers expect this contest to be a hard-fought one.