BREMERTON — On a night in which Republicans seemingly rolled to easy victories in Kitsap County, longtime prosecutor Russ Hauge, a Democrat, was just holding on. The results, though, are far from definitive.

At 5 p.m. Nov. 5, results show that Republican challenger Tina Robinson with a 50.1 to 49.9 percent margin.

In terms of votes, that’s 29,880 for Robinson compared to 29,848 for Hauge.

Initial returns show Hauge leading.

At an election party on the third floor of the Kitsap Conference Center, Robinson said she isn’t giving up.

“It’s not over,” Robinson told a supporter shortly after the results were posted on the county auditor’s website. “Don’t give up on me.”

Robinson acknowledged she was nervous prior to the early returns being posted, but said the closeness of the race had a calming effect.

“In the beginning of this, everybody was, ‘Anybody, but Hague,’” Robinson added. “As time went on, people went away from I was just ‘Anybody, but Hauge’ and started believing I was really the right person when they had an opportunity to actually meet me and talk to me. And I did a lot of speaking engagements and forums, which are just one-minute soundbites and you can’t really do anything with that. But, people actually took the time to let me come in and sit and talk and they were convinced I was the right person for the job.”

Robinson said she felt like she could not have done anything more in her campaign to convince voters that she was the best candidate for the job. She said she will, like the rest of the county, await the next round of vote tallies.

A call to Hauge for comment on election night was not immediately returned. Prior to the election, Hauge made it clear that he was running on his 20-year record as Kitsap County prosecutor.

“I built this organization,” he said. “We have 100 individuals protecting your safety. Any one of them could make more money in the private sector but they choose to work for the county because they want to serve you.”

Hauge said he has spent 20 years developing strong partnerships with local law enforcement agencies, his office is a leader in domestic violence prosecutions and they focus on treatment for drug users rather than repeatedly arresting them.

He also touted his office’s recent move to take on human trafficking and the exploitation of girls and women.

“Not every decision I’ve made has been popular, but I stand by them,” Hauge said.