MONROE - Todd Novak declared victory at 12:40 a.m. Wednesday, saying he won Assembly District 51 by just 59 votes.
It was a tight race between Novak and his main opponent Dick Cates, with results see-sawing throughout the evening.
With 100 percent of precincts reporting, preliminary numbers show Cates, a Spring Green farmer, and Novak, the mayor of Dodegville, nearly tied at 47 percent, with a mere one-quarter of one percent difference.
Libertarian Adam Laufenberg, a delivery driver from Highland, took away 5.27 percent.
Novak said he was declaring victory after seeing the election results in all counties that are in the assembly district, and, he said, the finally tally came down to the last precinct.
"It was a tight race, as expected," he said. "I'm happy with the results, and we'll wait for the final count. I am honored and proud to represent the 51st Assembly District."
At the end of the vote tabulation, Novak was leading in number of total votes in the district - 10,619, compared to Cates with 10,560 votes, leaving Laufenberg with 1,177 votes.
In southeast Green County, Cates won by a slim 21 votes, taking 2,704 votes to Novak's 2,683 and Laufenberg's 156. There were five write-in votes.
In Lafayette County, the results swung in favor of Novak. Novak won 2,788 votes or 51.9 percent compared to 2,303 votes or 42.8 percent for Cates and 272 votes or 5.1 percent for Laufenberg. There were also four write-in votes.
It was a tight race between Novak and his main opponent Dick Cates, with results see-sawing throughout the evening.
With 100 percent of precincts reporting, preliminary numbers show Cates, a Spring Green farmer, and Novak, the mayor of Dodegville, nearly tied at 47 percent, with a mere one-quarter of one percent difference.
Libertarian Adam Laufenberg, a delivery driver from Highland, took away 5.27 percent.
Novak said he was declaring victory after seeing the election results in all counties that are in the assembly district, and, he said, the finally tally came down to the last precinct.
"It was a tight race, as expected," he said. "I'm happy with the results, and we'll wait for the final count. I am honored and proud to represent the 51st Assembly District."
At the end of the vote tabulation, Novak was leading in number of total votes in the district - 10,619, compared to Cates with 10,560 votes, leaving Laufenberg with 1,177 votes.
In southeast Green County, Cates won by a slim 21 votes, taking 2,704 votes to Novak's 2,683 and Laufenberg's 156. There were five write-in votes.
In Lafayette County, the results swung in favor of Novak. Novak won 2,788 votes or 51.9 percent compared to 2,303 votes or 42.8 percent for Cates and 272 votes or 5.1 percent for Laufenberg. There were also four write-in votes.