Scott Olson/Getty ImagesWisconsin Gov. Scott WalkerScott Walker, Wisconsin's Republican governor, was ousted from office in the state's closest governor's race in more than 50 years in Tuesday's midterm elections - and he won't be able to ask for a recount because of a law he put into place.
With 99% of votes reported on Wednesday morning, Democrat Tony Evers narrowly led the Wisconsin gubernatorial race against Walker 49.6% to 48.4%, according to the Associated Press.
After President Donald Trump won Wisconsin by just 23,000 votes, Walker signed into law a measure mandating that future recounts would only be allowed when the loser is within 1% of the winner.The law triggers a free recount if the margin is 0.25% or less. When the margin is between 0.25 and 1%, the losing candidate must petition and pay for a recount.
As it stands, Walker is 1.2% behind Evers, with a gap of about 31,000 votes. More than 2.6 million votes were cast in the election.
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Walker's campaign spokesman, Brian Reisinger, told the Associated Press that he wants allegedly damaged ballots to be examined.
He also wants to see the official canvass of the vote, which would show him Election Day results, as well as results from absentee ballots and accepted provisional ballots.
Evers declared victory at about 1:30 a.m. on Wednesday with almost all precincts reporting, according to The Wisconsin State Journal.His win also means his running mate, Mandela Barnes, will become Wisconsin's first African-American lieutenant governor.
Moments before the race was called, Walker's Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch said she was prepared for a "long, drawn-out recount," but would be "gracious no matter the outcome."
Walker's loss means he misses out on a third term as governor, despite just three years ago being seen as a front-runner in the 2016 presidential election.