The insurance commissioner race came down to the wire Tuesday night, with both candidates holding on to nearly half of the vote.

As of press time, Republican Adam Hamm had a little more than 50 percent of the vote with Jasper Schneider trailing slightly behind.

Hamm said he was holding on just fine as the precincts continued to report.

"It's kind of hard because we don't know what precincts are still out there," Hamm said.

Schneider was not available for comment as of press time.

Both candidates fought a long battle from the get-go. Hamm was appointed to the post in October 2007 after his predecessor, Jim Poolman, resigned. Schneider announced his candidacy in November 2007, vowing to reform Workforce Safety and Insurance.

The election was the first statewide election for both candidates.

Voters in Bismarck Tuesday said their choice for insurance commissioner was based on the candidates' ads and peer opinion.

Bismarck nutritionist Cheryl Guttormson, 57, said she supported Hamm, adding she was turned off by Schneider's advertising, which she called too negative.

"(Schneider) didn't say what he was going to do," Guttormson said. "He just blasted Hamm."

But Justin Wenger, 30, said he supported Schneider because he was impressed by his resume.

"I looked through his young career and he's done well for himself," Wenger said, who works for a heating and electric company.

(Reach reporter Brian Duggan at 223-8482 or brian.duggan@bismarcktribune.com)