Democrat Steve Bullock has won the election for Montana governor over Republican Rick Hill.

The first-term attorney general will replace term-limited Brian Schweitzer and secures the governor’s office for the Democrats.

With all but a handful of precincts counted, Bullock had a 49 percent to 47 percent lead over Hill, a former Montana congressman.  

Bullock had 222,097 votes to Hill’s 213,399 votes.

Libertarian Ron Vandevender had just under 4 percent.

Bullock ran on a platform promising to build on Schweitzer’s success in state surpluses and a relatively strong economy as the nation struggles to emerge from the Great Recession.

The close race took on an edge in the final weeks when Bullock sued Hill for the return of a $500,000 campaign contribution from the Montana Republican Party. Hill got the donation after a judge threw out the state’s campaign contribution limits.

Polls had shown a tight race throughout the campaign, ending with an election that was too close to call until the returns from key counties were tallied on Wednesday.

The race came to be dominated in the final weeks over whether Hill should have kept the $500,000 donation made after a federal judge ruled state campaign contribution limits unconstitutionally low.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals blocked that ruling six days later, putting the limits back into place pending an appeal.

Bullock sued, saying Hill should be forced to give back the money with the limits back in place. Hill insisted the donation was legal because it was made during that window when there were no limits.

District Judge Kathy Seeley issued a temporary order blocking Hill from spending the money or airing ads paid for with it. Hill’s campaign shut down all advertising, and most of its operations, for several days to comply with the order at a critical point in the campaign.

Hill’s pro-business message was that burdensome and inefficient state regulations had put Montana at a disadvantage compared to its neighbors, North Dakota and Wyoming, and kept away more and better-paying jobs.

He advocated charter schools, supported anti-union right-to-work laws and wanted to lower property taxes by funding public education through oil and gas revenue. He promised to scrutinize every government program in what he calls “priority budgeting” and to put to voters a plan to cap a coal severance tax fund for 10 years and use the money to build infrastructure in communities affected by oil and gas development.

Bullock called Hill a “Chicken Little” for repeatedly overstating how bad Montana’s business, regulatory and legal position is. Bullock said Gov. Brian Schweitzer is leaving Montana in a relatively strong position compared to other states struggling to emerge from the Great Recession, and he pledged to draw more business and encourage development.

Bullock’s other central campaign themes included a tuition freeze for college students and a one-time $400 rebate for homeowners to stimulate spending and help the economy.