Assistant Attorney General JoAnne Kloppenburg declared victory Wednesday in a state Supreme Court race that looks certain to go to a recount.
With all precincts reporting, Kloppenburg leads current state Supreme Court Justice David Prosser by 204 votes, .01 percent of the nearly 1.5 million votes cast in the election, according to the Associated Press. The AP has not declared a winner in the race, and either candidate can call for a recount paid for by the state if the margin of victory is less than .5 percent.
Despite the threat of a recount, Kloppenburg declared victory in the close election.
""Wisconsin voters have spoken,"" she said in statement. ""I am grateful for, and humbled by, their confidence and trust. I will be independent and impartial and I will decide cases based on the facts and the law.""
""I look forward to bringing new blood to the Supreme Court.""
Prosser disputed Kloppenburg's victory claim, saying that the race is not over, but stopped short of calling for a recount.
""The victor in this election won't be decided today, or even tomorrow, as counties conduct their canvases which will better reconcile the reported results,"" Prosser said. ""Throughout the day, vote totals and percentages have fluctuated, providing uncertainty. We have survived an epic campaign battle, and we will continue to fight for every vote cast.""
Prosser must decide if he wants a recount within three days of when the Government Accountability Board receives all the county results, which will happen between April 12 and 16 according to Michael Haas, a spokesman for GAB. The recount then has 10 days to be completed, assuming the battle does not go to the courts.
Haas said there's no way to know how accurate the current count is or how different the recount would be, though it will use the same process as the original. If either candidate disputes the recount, then it would move to the courts to adjudicate.
Gov. Scott Walker dismissed the notion that Tuesday's election was a referendum on his policies, but said it showed a divide between Madison the rest of Wisconsin.
""You have two very different worlds in this state,"" Walker said. ""You've got a world driven by Madison, and a world driven by everybody else out across the majority of the rest of the state of Wisconsin.""
