MADISON, Wis. -- Gov. Jim Doyle beat Republican challenger Mark Green in a bitter, neck-and-neck race to become the first Democrat re-elected governor in 32 years.

"I love being governor of this incredible state. There are 49 other governors, but I'm the only one who gets to be governor of the best state in the country." Doyle said after his victory speech.

Going into Tuesday's election, polls showed a dead heat between gubernatorial candidates Doyle and Green.

The contest has been a battle of attack ads, charges of corruption, fights over campaign donations and debates over jobs and stem-cell research.

Doyle said Tuesday night that now he just wants the state to come together.

"I know this has been a difficult campaign, and sometimes it got a little bit more heated than any of us wanted. But now, it's time for us in Wisconsin to come together. We have honest differences, but we all love Wisconsin, and we can do so much in the state if we come together."

Both sides brought in plenty of star power in the weeks leading up to Tuesday's election, with Michael J. Fox, former President Bill Clinton and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama stumping for Doyle and former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson supporting Green.

In addition to being a rough campaign, the race was also expensive.

According to the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, the final cost for the race will break the $30-million mark and be the most expensive governor's race in Wisconsin history.

Millions of dollars were spent on advertising, with more than a third coming from independent groups attacking one candidate or the other.

Mike McCabe, who heads the Democracy Campaign, said that the race devolved into two candidates trying to prove who is the bigger crook.

Both men's polling numbers might have played a factor. Doyle's popularity rankings have consistently been around 50 percent or less, while Green came to the race as a member of an unpopular Congress. Since both were vulnerable to attack, that's the road the campaigns took, political observers said.