Who is running for Wi Secretary of State 2022?

County

• Adams99% in

• Ashland98.6% in

• Barron99% in

• Bayfield99% in

• Brown98.7% in

% in

• 99% in
• 98.6% in
• 99% in
• 99% in
• 98.7% in

The expected vote is the total number of votes that are expected in a given race once all votes are counted. This number is an estimate and is based on several different factors, including information on the number of votes cast early as well as information provided to our vote reporters on Election Day from county election officials. The figure can change as NBC News gathers new information.

Source: National Election Pool (NEP)

Longtime Wisconsin Secretary of State Doug La Follette said Wednesday he is confident he will be elected to another term, even as the race had not been called and his Republican challenger, state Rep. Amy Loudenbeck, had not conceded.

With 99% of votes counted, La Follette outpaced Loudenbeck by about 7,000 votes, or three-tenths of a percentage point, according to the latest results from the Associated Press.

“While we are still counting votes, it is clear that our campaign is ahead and voters have chosen to maintain the independence of Wisconsin's election system. I am confident as the last tallies come in, we'll come out on top," La Follette said in a statement around 1 p.m. Wednesday.

"Should it come to a recount, we will trust that process as well. Voters should have confidence in our elections, and it is important that every vote gets counted. That's how our democracy functions," his statement continued.

Meanwhile, Loudenbeck did not concede or declare victory in a statement sent about 11:30 a.m.

“Due to the closeness of Tuesday’s election results my team and I will continue to review theresults of the official canvassing and certification; then decide what steps to take once all of thevotes have been counted," she said.

If La Follette, 82, is declared the winner, he would enter his 11th consecutive term, extending his tenure as Wisconsin's longest-serving secretary of state.

He has pledged not to expand the role of the small office with little power, while Loudenbeck campaigned on transferring election administration duties from the Wisconsin Elections Commission to the office.

La Follette believes the candidates for secretary of state from the Libertarian Party and the Green Party caused the race to be especially tight.

Combined, Neil Harmon and Sharyl McFarland account for 3.7% of the overall vote, according to the latest results from the Associated Press.

La Follette received about 90,000 fewer votes than his fellow Democrat Gov. Tony Evers, who won reelection. The latest results show that Harmon and McFarland gathered about 95,000 votes combined.

The tight Wisconsin race comes as Republicans in other states have targeted the secretary of state office for its election oversight powers. In some states, Republican secretary of state candidates have questioned the legitimacy of the 2020 election.

Previously, Loudenbeck dismissed suggestions she wouldn't abide by election results. She didn't specify what changes she would make, saying those issues should be determined by the Legislature, but she supported consolidating oversight duties in the secretary of state's office. She also contended that election laws were not uniformly enforced during the 2020 election.

La Follette, meanwhile, framed the race for secretary of state as a referendum on democracy. He suggested Loudenbeck could toss out legitimate Democratic victories and refuse to certify their election if she took office.

"I'll make sure to keep the far-right Republicans' hands off the Elections Commission," La Follette said on his website.

He said he believes the Elections Commission should maintain control of electoral oversight, though he preferred when election management duties were in the hands of the now-defunct Government Accountability Board. State lawmakers voted to create the Elections Commission in 2015 and to abolish the accountability board.

Legislators have gradually reduced the powers of the secretary of state over the years. The office, which has two positions and an annual budget of less than $300,000, is in the basement of the state Capitol. La Follette's primary duties involve authenticating documents and filing oaths of office and deeds for state lands and buildings.

In about 39 states, the secretary of state has at least some electoral duties. A 1973 law stripped the Wisconsin office of those powers.

Related:Josh Kaul defeats Eric Toney to win second term as Wisconsin attorney general

Related:Ron Johnson defeats Mandela Barnes, wins third term in U.S. Senate

First elected secretary of state in 1974, La Follette then ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor in 1978 before returning to the office after running again in 1982. He has spent 43 years as secretary of state.

Most of La Follette's races have not been as close as Tuesday's. In 2018, he beat his Republican challenger by 5.5 percentage points. In 2014, he won by 3.7 percentage points.

In 2006, his margin of victory against the Republican candidate was nearly 19 percentage points.

He enjoys substantial name recognition throughout the state as a relative of the progressive politician “Fighting Bob” La Follette, a former governor, congressman and presidential candidate.

During the campaign, Loudenbeck said La Follette wanted to "protect his do-nothing legacy."

"He’s content to sit around while his office is closed, collect a taxpayer funded paycheck and ignore concerns from Wisconsin citizens," she said on her website.

As a legislator, Loudenbeck represents state Assembly District 31, which comprises parts of Rock and Walworth counties. Democrat Brienne Brown and Republican Ellen Schutt were vying for her seat, which she has vacated to run for secretary of state.

Loudenbeck graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and previously worked as a chamber of commerce executive, environmental project manager, supervisor in her hometown of Clinton and firefighter before joining the Legislature in 2010.

She is chairwoman of the Joint Committee on Information Policy and Technology and is vice chairwoman of the powerful Joint Committee on Finance.

Ben Baker, formerly of the Journal Sentinel staff, and the Associated Press contributed to this report.