After a final preliminary hearing on Friday, Virginia judges and election officials will begin a formal recount on Tuesday in the 5th district race between Democrat Tom Perriello and Rep. Virgil Goode (R).

It has been more than a month since Perriello was declared the winner of the contest by a slim 745-vote margin, but Republicans are holding out hope that the recount will allow them to better analyze what they believe were irregularities that occurred at the polls on Election Day.

“We respect Congressman Goode’s right to call for a recount, but we’re very focused on the transition,” Perriello said in an interview. “There’s such a sense of urgency with this economic crisis that we can’t miss a beat, so we’re focused on being ready on Day One.”