BREAKING: Johnson beats Barnes in Wisconsin, keeping key Senate seat GOP

Johnson has been one of Donald Trump's biggest backers, and this win follows Trump's narrow loss of the state to Biden in the 2020 elections.

"The votes are in," Johnson said in an email statement released on Wednesday morning. “There is no path mathematically for Lt. Gov. Barnes to overcome his 27,374 vote deficit. This race is over.”

As of late Wednesday morning, Barnes had still not conceded defeat, despite the fact that major news outlets are calling the election for Johnson.

“No matter what anyone says, we are committed to making sure every vote is counted,” Barnes’ campaign spokesperson Maddy McDaniel said earlier Wednesday morning. “We will wait and see what the Wisconsin voters have decided after all their voices are heard.”

Johnson accused Barnes of refusing to accept the outcome of the race after he had promised earlier in the campaign he would.

“It’s just crystal clear he has no path to victory here,” Johnson told WISN-AM.

Barnes eventually condeded the election to Johnson at a news conference in his hometown of Milwaukee on Wednesday afternoon.

Johnson has been a top target for Democrats in the swing state of Wisconsin since he was first elected in 2010. He has been attacked for his overwhelming support of Trump and for his skepticism regarding the 2020 election results.

His strong stance against COVID-related mandates also made him a target of the left, and led to him being censored by Twitter.

Johnson's consistent messaging regarding high crime rates and his unwaivering pro-life stance have continued to resonate with voters in Wisconsin. It was expected that he would fare better in the midterm elections, stating that Democratic policies are "not good for America".

“I’m surprised in Wisconsin my race was this close, I am,” Johnson said of the result.

Johnson won the race by one point.