A contentious Chautauqua County District Attorney race came to an end Tuesday night as Acting District Attorney Patrick Swanson prevailed over Fredonia attorney Jason Schmidt.

Swanson, the Democratic candidate, was appointed as acting district attorney late last year after former district attorney David Foley vacated the office to become Chautauqua County Court Judge. Swanson will move from an acting role to a permanent position in the county District Attorney’s Office after securing more votes than Schmidt, the Republican candidate.

Unofficial results show Swanson securing 54 percent of county votes while Schmidt garnered close to 46 percent of votes.

Following Tuesday night’s victory, Swanson thanked his supporters who aided him throughout the campaign. Family and friends joined Swanson as he tensely watched the results trickle in throughout the evening.

Stepping in as the acting district attorney and knowing that he had to run to keep the job, Swanson said campaigning was something he never had to do before. Swanson said he didn’t know what exactly he was getting to, but he credited his supporters who aided him throughout the campaign.

“Today, we’ve got our results and it’s done,” Swanson. “I’m honored to have been selected by a county of people that know me well. I want to make them proud the next four years. What’s important for me at this point is to focus on doing this job right and showing the voters they made the right choice.”

After Tuesday’s defeat, Schmidt said he enjoyed getting out, going door-to-door and meeting people throughout the county.

“First of all, I’m grateful for the people around me, my family and my close friends,” Schmidt said. “I hope Mr. Swanson does well. He is my district attorney too.”

A Sherman native and Fredonia resident, Swanson has been a full-time prosecutor in the county District Attorney’s Office for the past five years. Before that, he tried felony jury trials mostly on the defensive side for a period of time in Memphis, Tennessee.

Swanson took over the DA’s Office on Jan. 1. Since his appointment, Swanson has handled several high-profile cases, including the double-murder in Jamestown and the attempted murder of a sheriff’s deputy in September by Justin S. Haffa. In July, Swanson took a career burglar who victimized a homeowner over the past 20 years to trial. After an eight-day trial, the jury found the burglar guilty.

The race for district attorney between Swanson and Schmidt was heated as the two went at one another on priorities, agendas and records over the past few months. Schmidt looked to bring sweeping changes that he said were needed in the DA’s Office while Swanson looked to carry on the practices and ways that he gathered when Foley was the lead prosecutor.

“The job in and of itself is difficult enough to manage and learn in those first three months of the office,” he said. “It hasn’t been a perfect year and I get that, but for the most part, our staff and our team has done a great job.”