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Former Gov. Pedro Rossello sought to regain Puerto Rico's top office Tuesday with promises to fight to make the island the 51st U.S. state, but faced a tight race against a Washington veteran. With 55 percent of ballots counted, elections officials reported Rossello had a narrow lead with 48.7 percent to 47.9 percent for Anibal Acevedo Vila, the territory's nonvoting delegate to the U.S. Congress, from the Popular Democratic Party. Four years after stepping down as governor, Rossello pledged he would lead a clean government and hold another vote on statehood - an option narrowly defeated in nonbinding referendums in 1993 and 1998. Puerto Ricans took to the streets in honking caravans, hanging out windows with party flags. Some made it a day to party since most businesses closed. Rossello, governor from 1993 to 2000, said he expected Puerto Ricans to "speak decisively" for him. [more]