Democrat Tim Walz has been elected Minnesota governor, defeating two-time Republican gubernatorial candidate Jeff Johnson.

The Associated Press called the race at 9:49 p.m. for Walz, who represented the conservative-leaning First District in southern Minnesota for six terms.

With 44 percent of the vote in, Walz held almost a 2-to-1 lead Tuesday night.

It was the first open governor’s race since 2010, when Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton won the first of his two terms. Dayton opted not to run for a third term, setting off a wide-open race to replace him.

Walz used his appeal in rural areas to promote a theme of “One Minnesota” and enlisted a popular liberal activist and lawmaker, Rep. Peggy Flanagan, as his running mate. He also brought mayors from Fergus Falls to Golden Valley onboard to support the campaign.

Johnson, a Hennepin County commissioner known for often being a lonely conservative voice on that body, was the GOP’s losing candidate against Dayton in 2014. Johnson selected Donna Bergstrom as his running mate.

“We fight to make Minnesota about the people, about individuals and not about the government,” Johnson said. “Not about bureaucracy and not about state agencies because it is the people in this state that make Minnesota so great.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.