Cooper secured a third four-year term as North Carolina’s No. 1 law enforcer by defeating Republican Bob Crumley on Tuesday night.

The Associated Press called the race for Cooper based on an analysis of voter interviews, conducted for the AP by Edison Media Research and Mitofsky International.

The 51-year-old former state legislator from Rocky Mount ran for re-election instead of mounting a bid for governor because he said he had “so many issues to tackle,” and focused his camapign largely on his record during the past eight years.