Democrat Attorney General Jim Doyle defeated incumbent Republican Governor Scott McCallum Tuesday in Wisconsin’s gubernatorial election.

Doyle will be the first Democratic governor of Wisconsin in 16 years.

The race between Doyle and McCallum has been a heavily contested one, and in the last weeks of their campaigns both candidates resorted to negative campaign tactics.

“This battle has left scars on Wisconsin’s politic landscape,” McCallum said in his concession speech.

McCallum conceded that the time had come to call Doyle governor.

“While I appreciated that title, being called ‘dad’ or ‘coach’ is just as meaningful,” McCallum said.

Doyle said that he had been blessed by the state of Wisconsin and that restoring integrity to the Capitol would be a top priority of his administration.

“Wisconsin is a great and proud state that has fallen on some bad and disreputable times,” Doyle said. “We’re going to change the way we do business in Madison.”

Doyle finished with 45 percent of the vote. Though not a majority, Doyle won over McCallum’s 42 percent.

Votes were taken from both major-party candidates by Libertarian candidate Ed Thompson, who received 10 percent of the vote. Green Party candidate Jim Young finished with 3 percent of the vote.

“I wish it had been a more positive campaign,” Doyle said. “It is my hope that Democrats and Republicans can come together to make future elections more about the issues affecting the state and less about mudslinging.”

“Scott McCallum disagreed with me on many issues and he fought hard for his beliefs,” Doyle said. “I offer a call across the bitterness and partisanship. Now let us move forward together.”

“It was a hard fought campaign, and we did out best,” said Scott Gaspari, president of Students for McCallum. “Conservatives are hard to find on campus sometimes. We had spirit, and that’s what I’m proud of.”

Although the final vote numbers are not yet known, Dane County clerk Joseph Parisi said he expected 50 percent of county voters to vote.

The county clerk’s office is responsible for tabulating and certifying the results of elections for county, state and federal offices.

“It’s been a pretty typical turnout for a mid-term election,” Parisi said. Parisi said that, traditionally, fewer people come out to vote in non-presidential elections.

“We’ve seen a good turnout outside of Madison, in areas like Stoughton and Monona, and the turnout inside the city has been pretty good also,” Parisi said.

Candidates in the various races appealed to the students of the University of Wisconsin, and many conducted last-minute campaigning efforts on Library Mall.

“Every time Tammy Baldwin has run, her campaign has increased turnout,” Parisi said. “In fact, the student vote has been credited with helping her win her first two campaigns.”

“People in general are more likely to go to the polls when they feel that someone is courting their vote,” Parisi said.