A Democratic sweep of Virginia’s top three statewide elected offices may be in the offing, depending on the results of a likely recount in an extremely close race for attorney general.

In a race that has been viewed by political pundits across the nation as a bellwether for such issues as Obamacare and the continuing influence of the Tea Party in the electoral process, Democrat Terry McAuliffe narrowly defeated current Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, winning by a 47.75 to 45.27 percent margin. Libertarian Robert Sarvis drew 6.52 percent of the vote.

With the win, McAuliffe breaks a long-standing tradition of Virginia voters choosing its top executive from the opposite party of the president that had been elected the year before. The last time that happened was in 1973, when Republican Mills E. Godwin Jr. was elected governor a year after President Richard Nixon’s 1972 reelection.

The biggest winner of the night, in terms of margins in the state races, was ...