Fond du Lac County DA Eric Toney narrowly won the GOP nomination for attorney general despite being vastly outspent by GOP rival Adam Jarchow and his allies.

Jarchow, a former state lawmaker from Balsam Lake, conceded early Wednesday morning as Toney clung to a lead of less than 3,600 votes with about 97 percent of precincts in.

Jarchow urged support for Toney in his race against Dem AG Josh Kaul.

“Josh Kaul has failed Wisconsin: crime is out of control, our brave men and women in law enforcement are under attack, and our leaders in Madison don’t have the political fortitude to right the ship,” Jarchow said. “But Eric Toney does, and he has my full support.”

Chippewa Falls attorney Karen Mueller, who ran on a platform that included prosecuting doctors who wouldn’t give COVID-19 patients ivermectin, played a significant role in the results. Despite spending just $36,125 on her campaign, she was pulling more than 25 percent and leading in several counties.

WIth nearly 98 percent of the vote in, Toney was at 221,229 votes, or 37.5 percent, to 217,510, or 36.9 percent for Jarchow.

On the campaign trail, Jarchow’s opponents criticized him for lacking experience in the criminal justice world because he’s never been a prosecutor.

Toney also took knocks after text messages he sent friends surfaced in which he said he wouldn’t vote for “Dumb Dumb Donald” in the last presidential election.

Groups spent nearly $1 million in independent expenditures to back Jarchow and oppose Toney.

No groups reported independent expenditures to support Toney’s behalf, who trailed Jarchow on the fundraising front.

Toney raised $112,742 from the start of the year through late July, compared to the $541,950 Jarchow hauled in.

Jarchow’s campaign also spent $471,306 during this year, four times the $117,742 Toney’s spent over the same period.

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