Mark Rankin Herring (born September 25, 1961) is an American attorney and politician. He is the 47th and current Attorney General of Virginia, defeating Republican candidate Mark Obenshain in a close election. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Previously, he had been a member of the Senate of Virginia since a 2006 special election. He represented the 33rd district, made up of parts of Fairfax and Loudoun counties.