Dino Rossi and the state Republican Party have spent the past four years lamenting that he wasn’t elected governor in 2004, and they are planning to change that this year. Rossi has spent much of that time campaigning, directly or indirectly, while Democratic Gov. Chris Gregoire ran the state.

If Rossi had spent more of that time actually preparing to be governor instead of wishing to be governor, he might be a more viable challenger. As it is, he’s the same guy with the same message four years later, and that’s not nearly recommendation enough to unseat Gregoire.

The incumbent does have some things to answer for, most urgently how to contend with a projected state budget deficit of more than $3 billion. But Gregoire is in a better position, with a more definitive plan, to tackle the budget issues than her challenger.

Rossi is an energetic campaigner with legislative leadership experience in the budget process. But his solutions for state government’s challenges, or perceived challenges, are long on hyperbole and short on detail. And his plan for the budget — redirecting money from the general fund to help pay for roads — is, in the absence of detail, borderline alarming.

There are troubling aspects to Rossi’s campaign and its tactics, particularly his association with the Building Industry Association of Washington (BIAW). His campaign advertising has turned squalid as Nov. 4 nears. It’s no credit to the Gregoire campaign that it has, to a less sordid extent, responded in kind. We’d all prefer to hear more about issues.

Rossi’s views on the Growth Management Act are too much like the BIAW’s aversion to sensible land-use planning. He says he would simply let local governments decide how to handle growth, a practice that for decades produced the urban sprawl we still contend with.

Gregoire has never acted like a governor who just barely won. Agree or disagree with her positions, she has shown consistent leadership and initiative, even taking tough stances on issues such as the Alaska Way Viaduct and KeyArena with the city of Seattle, a Democratic stronghold.

Gregoire’s challenge would be to convince a program-happy Democratic leadership to scale back its spending dreams and get realistic.

Rossi’s challenge would be to work effectively with what is likely to be a decided Democratic majority, particularly if he enters office with the same combative disdain for Olympia that he now expresses.

We think Gregoire has the experience and determination to steer the best course through the next four years.

• Editorials reflect the consensus opinion of the editorial board and are written by its members: Publisher L. Stedem Wood, Editor Don Nelson and City Editor Dick Clever. Signed columns reflect the authors’ viewpoints.