Can you say close? Democrat Tom Salmon appears to be leading the race for state auditor over incumbent Republican Randy Brock by 104 votes statewide now that Chittenden County's recount rally is in.

Those numbers have been shipped off to Washington County Superior Court via certified mail. Amid all those Christmas cards and packages floating in the postal world, who knows how long it will be before a judge finalizes the count.

The tally we're working with now is based on numbers accumulated from each county by the Associated Press.

Considering Salmon almost didn't challenge the Election Day count, this is an interesting tale.

- Terri Hallenbeck