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It was a close race for Montana's Supreme Court Justice race on Election Day, but it appears that Beth Baker has defeated Nels Swandal and will succeed Justice William Leaphart, who is retiring.

Early results show Baker ahead, 52% to 48%, with more than 300,000 ballots counted as of Wednesday morning.

Both Baker and Swandal graduated from the University of Montana law school, but from there, their careers took two very different paths.

Baker grew up in Washington and has 25 years of legal experience in both the public and private sector. She served in the Department of Justice for nearly 12 years under two Attorneys General as a liaison with the Montana Legislature. She is a member of the Montana State Bar, and has performed volunteer work in the legal justice system.

She said during the campaign that she'll bring an impartial attitude to the court, stating, "The support I've received from both my former bosses at the Attorney General's office, Republican Mark Racicot and Democrat Joe Mazurek, shows that balance, as does the endorsement I've gotten from the state's leading business and labor organizations."

Swandal is a third-generation Montanan raised on a family ranch near Wilsall. He served in the U.S. Army for 30 years, and has been a district court judge for the past 15 years. He was recently endorsed by the NRA and says being pegged as a conservative doesn't bother him.

Swandal noted, "I am conservative and there aren't many justices on the Supreme Court that are...but I have a 16-year track record as district court judge and I've sat on the Supreme Court showing that my personal biases don't influence my decisions whatsoever and they never will."