The race for the position of Virginia's Attorney General has been the closest race in recent Virginia history, as well as one of the closest in the nation this year.
On Nov. 25 Herring was declared the winner with just a 165 vote margin. The certified tally placed Herring at 1,103,777, with Obenshain at 1,103,612.
Obenshain petitioned for a recount, which began on Monday.
The Mark Herring Team held a press teleconference on Monday afternoon with Legal Counsel Marc Elias, and Campaign Manager Kevin O'Holleran.
Elias noted that the recount was going smoothly, saying that the team was feeling more confident at 2:30 pm Monday that they did upon going into the recount, as Herring's lead was already increasing at that time. Elias said he expected the process to be complete by the end of the week, with the recount to continue through Wednesday, and with reviews on Wednesday through Friday.
O'Holleran noted that a strong team of 700 - 800 volunteers was covering recount efforts throughout the day.
Herring's expected win will give all five statewide offices to the Democrats for the first time since 1969: governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and the two U.S. Senate seats.
At 9:45 on Monday evening, the Herring legal team released this statement:
After the first full day of the recount, starting in Alexandria, Chesapeake, and Fairfax County, Attorney General-elect Mark Herring's lead has grown from 165 votes to 305 votes. Lead legal counsel Marc Elias issued the following statement:
"The results in the race for attorney general were counted locally, canvassed by the State Board of Elections and certified, and are now being reviewed a third time in a recount. We saw significant growth in the margin of the Herring victory today; frankly, greater than we initially anticipated. We expect to maintain or increase this margin as the recount expands to additional jurisdictions tomorrow. We look forward to the Court declaring Mark Herring the winner of the recount later this week.
"Tonight, we commend election officials and volunteers working diligently to conduct this massive undertaking in a the most professional manner possible."
If Herring wins the recount he will succeed incumbent, Republican Ken "trans-vaginal ultrasound" Cuccinelli (who lost the race for Governor) and it will surely be a Blue Christmas without him for Virginians.