State Sen. Mark Herring’s (D) attorney general campaign said Monday that the Democrat had had a net gain of 20 votes in early results of the Virginia attorney general recount.
According to Herring campaign attorney Marc Elias, Herring had seen an increase of 55 votes while state Sen. Mark Obenshain (R) had gotten 35 new votes according to early results. According to the Herring campaign that brings the total from 165 to 185 votes in Herring’s favor.
The results came midway through the day of the recount requested by Obenshain. Herring campaign attorney Marc Elias told reporters on Monday that the campaign was “more confident” than ever that Herring would win the recount.
Elias added that the Herring campaign expects the recount to be completely finished by Friday.
“And we expect that this recount will take place today, tomorrow, the rest of the state will join in along with the three jurisdictions that are counting today and then come Wednesday the recount should hopefully finish up in the jurisdictions and whatever ballots that have to be reviewed by the court will be reviewed Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday and we should be completed by the end of the week,” Elias said.
The Virginia State Board of Elections certified the attorney general election results with Herring winning in November.
Obenshain director Paul Logan said the recount could still swing in Obenshain’s direction.
“It is too soon to draw conclusions about the ultimate result in the Attorney General’s race,” Logan said in a statement. “What we have seen so far today, as we expected, is that the numbers have already started to change, as the second, more thorough count is conducted. That’s why it was important to go through the recount, and to give Virginia voters the assurance they deserve in this historically close election.
This story was updated.
