Senator Maria Cantwell widened her lead over Republican challenger Mike McGavick to 17 percentage points, according to a new poll. Yet it’s too soon for Democrats to count on victory.

The Rasmussen poll conducted on Sept. 6 showed her lead widened from 6 points three weeks earlier. During that time she ramped up her TV advertising and McGavick suffered a self-inflicted wound over his botched confessional. That 11-point change shows there’s still ample time for another wide swing before election day.

Remember that at this time two years ago now-Gov. Gregoire held a small lead over Republican Dino Rossi, after a competitive primary race. That gap closed, of course, and Gregoire won by 129 votes only after a lengthy hand recount and court challenge.