Originally an [[Independent voter|Independent]] and a quite [[conservative]] person who had served under two [[Republican Party|Republican]] presidents, Ray ran for governor as a Democrat. She defeated the [[Moderate Republican]] [[John Spellman]], 53.4 to 40.5 percent, who four years later became her successor after she lost her bid for re-nomination to the more [[liberal]] James Adelbert "Jim" McDermott (born 1936), later a [[U.S. Representative]] from 1989 to 2017 for Washington's 7th congressional district. Known for her no-holds=barred style, Governor Ray approved the docking of supertankers in [[Puget Sound]] and supported unrestrained growth and development. In 1980, she proclaimed a state of emergency as a result of the volcanic eruption of [[Mount St. Helens]]. She retired after her governorship ended.<ref name=findagrave/> | Originally an [[Independent voter|Independent]] and a quite [[conservative]] person who had served under two [[Republican Party|Republican]] presidents, Ray ran for governor as a Democrat. She defeated the [[Moderate Republican]] [[John Spellman]], 53.4 to 40.5 percent, who four years later became her successor after she lost her bid for re-nomination to the more [[liberal]] James Adelbert "Jim" McDermott (born 1936), later a [[U.S. Representative]] from 1989 to 2017 for Washington's 7th congressional district. Known for her no-holds=barred style, Governor Ray approved the docking of supertankers in [[Puget Sound]] and supported unrestrained growth and development. In 1980, she proclaimed a state of emergency as a result of the volcanic eruption of [[Mount St. Helens]]. She retired after her governorship ended.<ref name=findagrave/> |