Video of today's presser with Terry McAuliffe

In a press conference earlier today, Virginia's Governor-Elect Terry McAuliffe named Ric Brown, Paul Reagan, Levar Stoney, and Suzette Denslow to senior leadership roles within his new administration. Outside, worker were busy building the grandstands for the audience at McAuliffe's inauguration.

Why Mark Obenshain won't try to steal the AG election

Right now there are some Democratic bloggers kicking around a "doomsday" scenario in which Republican Attorney candidate Mark Obenshain will try to steal the election by "contesting" the outcome of the election--a very narrow win for Democrat Mark Herring--and ask the Republican Majority in the General Assembly to use an obscure part of the Virginia Code (§ 24.2-804. Contest of elections of Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Attorney General.) to overturn Herring's narrow 164 vote win.

I'm not an election law expert, but common sense tells you that if the Republican majority in the General Assembly can overturn a 164 vote win, then they could also just choose to ignore a 56,494 vote margin race--McAuliffe over Cuccinelli. Or why not just ignore a 232,846 vote margin race, like Northam's win over Jackson?

Why shouldn't Cuccinelli and Jackson contest their races' outcomes and just have the Republican majority in the General Assembly declare them the winner?

In the absence of a legitimate issue other than the fact that Herring won by only 164 votes, the Republicans would be incredibly foolish to attempt this. It would make them look like sore losers and they would lose in federal court after a few months of expensive litigation. It would cost the state millions, disrupt the operation of the state government, and completely discredit the Republican Party of Virginia. It would also make them look bad during the special elections to fill the winners' seats.

If Obenshain has the General Assembly declare him the winner, he will have to resign his state senate seat in order to become (temporarily) Attorney General, then when he lost in federal court, he'd also be out of his senate seat, and possibly done in Virginia politics.

Obenshain's other options are much better. If he he asks for a recount, he might yet pull out a win--164 votes is awfully close and they might find a transcription error somewhere. If he loses the recount, Obenshain should then gracefully concede. If he does so, he looks like a graceful team player who accepts the voters' decision. He goes back to the state senate, where, I would argue, he becomes the favorite for the GOP's 2017 Governor's nomination. That's not a bad place for the 51 year old Obenshain to be. He's got plenty of time.

Why? well for starters, alone of the Republican candidates, Obenshain ran a competent campaign and almost won. He would also have the advantage of still being in office and having the platform that provides.

Best case scenario for Obenshain right now is that he pulls out a squeaker of a win during the recount as the result of newly discovered transcription errors. Worst case, if he refuses to carry out the "contest" doomsday scenario, he becomes de facto leader of the Republican Party of Virginia and likely favorite for their 2017 gubernatorial nomination. Worst case if he attempts to steal the election in the General Assembly? Even if the rest of the Republicans in the General Assembly went along with him--and they'd be foolish to do so, he'd likely lose in federal court and would have given up his senate seat in the process. He'd be out in the cold with no elective office and no platform for future campaigns, just like Ken Cuccinelli.

Cuccinelli bears the stigma of having run an incompetent race and--along with E.W. Jackson--of dragging Obenshain down. If Cuccinelli had run a competent campaign and had someone like Pete Snyder been the Lieutenant General nominee, then Obenshain almost certainly would have won the Attorney General's election.

If the Republican Party of Virginia is foolish enough to nominate Ken Cuccinelli to run against Mark Warner U.S. Senate, Warner will crush Cuccinelli, effectively ending his active political career as a two-time statewide loser. Ken Cuccinelli is really out of good options politically, though he no doubt has a lucrative future as a lobbyist.

Democrats need to stop agonizing about far-fetched scenarios that are unlikely to occur. We need to be focused on the recount, as it would only take the swing of a tiny handful of votes to deliver the election to Mark Obenshain. The smart move for Obenshain and his advisors is to get the best and most accurate recount they can--maybe they can eke out a win, but if he loses, Obenshain should gracefully concede. The restrained way Obenshain ran his campaign suggests that he will do just that, taking the truly conservative course of respecting the voters and Virginia tradition rather than trying some outlandish and untried plan to steal the election in the General Assembly.

Stephen Colbert's epic takedown of Richard Cohen

Why does the Washington Post employ an obvious racist?

McEachin condemns Cuccinelli's unethical behavior

Ken Cuccinelli is acting unethically and needs to stand aside.

Ken Cuccinelli should recuse himself from the AG race recount

Ken Cuccinelli had a decision to make--he could participate in the recount of the Attorney General's race as the sitting Attorney General of Virginia or he could act as a politician and fundraise for Mark Obenshain to help him cover the expenses of the recount. Ethically, Cuccinelli cannot do both. He has chosen to act as the Republican Party's fundraiser in chief, therefore he must recuse himself from the recount. This is a clear conflict of interest.

From State Senator Donald McEachin:

Attorney General Cuccinelli Should Not Fundraise
for Obenshain with Recount Looming

Henrico – Today, Senator A. Donald McEachin (D-Henrico) released this statement in response to Attorney General Cuccinelli’s fundraising appeal for Senator Obenshain’s potential recount. Senator McEachin said, “I am extremely distressed and concerned that the Attorney General would fundraise for his friend Senator Obenshain at this time. As our Attorney General, Mr. Cuccinelli has oversight responsibilities for the looming recount. As the chief lawyer for the Commonwealth, Virginians deserve better.

“He is someone who has a critical role to play to help ensure that Virginians have confidence in the outcome and know that our elections are professional, fair and non-partisan. Attorney General Cuccinelli needs to take his responsibilities seriously in this process and refrain from his overt and extreme partisanship.

“I call on the Attorney General to stop tainting the electoral process and to refrain from fundraising for Senator Obenshain. I further call on Senator Obenshain to recognize the importance of Virginians having faith in this process and in the eventual outcome and to therefore ask the Attorney General, to stop fundraising and to conduct himself in a way befitting an elected official with responsibilities. “

Herring declares victory in Attorney General's race

From the campaign of Mark Herring for Attorney General:

HERRING WINS RACE FOR VIRGINIA ATTORNEY GENERAL

Mark Herring has won the race for Virginia Attorney General. After a thorough and complete canvass, Herring defeated his opponent Senator Mark Obenshain.

“Voters in Virginia have spoken, their voices have been heard and I am honored to have won their votes and their trust to become Virginia’s next Attorney General,” Attorney General-elect Herring said. “Over the course of the past week, a thorough and extensive process has ensured that every vote has been tallied and accounted for. The margin was close, but it is clear that Virginians have chosen me to serve as the next Attorney General.

“Today we begin the process of governing. I look forward to working with Virginians from all regions and all background, Democrats, Independents and Republicans to move our Commonwealth forward,” Attorney General-elect Herring added.

Following the vote canvass – a process overseen by bipartisan Boards of Elections in every locality, as well as volunteers and official observers from both parties to audit the voting process and ensure votes are tabulated correctly – Herring came out ahead of Obenshain.

A dramatic repetition--and reversal--of 2005's narrow victory of Bob McDonnell victory over Creigh Deeds.

Video of Mayor Jones' rollout of redevelopment proposal

This is video of Richmond, Virginia's Mayor Dwight C. Jones rollout of his proposal for redevelopment in the city's Shockoe Bottom District.

Throughout the video you will hear the speakers interrupted by protesters. I believe that the protesters badly overplayed their hand yesterday. There is a fine line between protesting and heckling, and the protesters crossed that line.

Many Richmonders, like myself, showed up without strong feelings one way or the other, but we wanted to hear what the mayor had to say. The rude and inane heckling by the protesters has tipped me off the fence onto the side of the mayor.

There was a large crowd at the rollout--perhaps 500--and of them maybe 50 were anti-development protesters. Yesterday's performance was an example of how not to protest. Anti-development protesters failed to persuade anyone; indeed they offended those of us who came to hear the mayor out. It reminded me of Occupy Richmond's attempt to interfere with the 2011 Richmond Christmas Parade and the way they picked a fight with the Richmond Police Department.

The anti-development protesters could have held their own press conference in which they laid out their own cogent objections to the redevelopment of Shockoe Bottom. Instead, they chose to try and shout down Mayor Jones and disrespected the other people who assembled to hear Mayor Jones speak. The anti-development protesters impressed no one. It was lost on no one in the crowd that the gang of hecklers were overwhelmingly composed of 20-something whites shouting down an African American mayor. I am amazed that this disrespectful crew has the presumption to lecture prominent African Americans like Dwight C. Jones and Delores McQuinn on how they should commemorate Richmond's legacy as a major slave market.

Now debate shifts to City Council, and no doubt the anti-development protesters will do their worst to intimidate City Council and block this plan. It will be interesting to see who votes for redevelopment and investment in Richmond's East End, and who caves to this crowd of bullying hecklers.

Closest race in Virginia history?

Don't let anyone kid you: no one knows where this one is going. Until absentee and provisional ballots are tallied, it is anyone's guess. We probably won't know who Virginia's new Attorney General is until mid-December.