The race for state attorney general between Democrat Kathleen Falk and Republican opponent J.B. Van Hollen remained in a dead-heat as ballots continued to be counted early Wednesday morning.
As of 2:45 a.m., Van Hollen had 50.1 percent of the vote and Falk held 49.9 percent.
At the Madison Marriott West in Middleton Tuesday night, Democrats celebrated their Senate and gubernatorial victories. However, as the attorney general race was too close to call in the late hours of the night, Falk decided she would not appear at the event.
Falk's spokesperson Adam Collins said the Democratic Party remains optimistic as the last votes were tallied.
Meanwhile, at Rex's Innkeeper in Waunakee, Van Hollen joined his supporters. As results were not confirmed at a reasonable hour, he said it had been a long night and that it would come down to the last few votes.
""We've got a close race on our hands, and it's too close to call,"" he said.
Though the overall percentages were neck and neck, percentage breakdown in many counties showed clear favor for one candidate.
In Dane County, Falk experienced the most concentrated amount of support in the state. Here she held 65.9 percent of the vote, while Van Hollen had 34.1 percent.
In Washington County, Van Hollen had his biggest win with 70.5 percent of the vote, while Falk managed 29.5 percent.
Charles Franklin, UW-Madison political science professor, said if Falk wins she would focus on the backlog in state crime labs, while Van Hollen would be more focused on pursuing prosecutions.
He said the attorney general has broad influence over the structure of law enforcement, but generally has little influence over the governor or the Legislature.
