With 26 precincts reporting at midnight, Sen. Jennie M. Forehand had a slight lead over challenger Cheryl C. Kagan in the Democratic primary for state senator in District 17, but the outcome was too close to call.

Kagan and Forehand had traded the lead throughout the evening as precincts reported their results.

Forehand had 51.45 percent of the votes and Kagan had 48.55 percent.

Both were stoic about the outcome. Not all votes had been tallied and the Montgomery County Board of Elections had not certified the results.

If she is re-elected to the Senate seat she has held since1995, Forehand said she is looking forward to returning to the State House and her colleagues in the General Assembly.

If she does not win, Forehand said her career will continue.

"My career will never end, it's just a continuation of my interest in the community," she said. "Every time I drive down the street here I'm reminded of something I've done."

Kagan said if she wins, she will be focused on the job.

"And it's really all about serving," she said.

She said she was surprised how many people she met at the polls on Tuesday who were asking about constituent service.

"It reflects a need in the community," she said.

Late into the night, Kagan thanked the audience for their support.

"I don't know that we're going to know tonight, but I'll tell you, I'm proud of the campaign we ran," she said.

Kagan, 49, posed the most serious challenge to Forehand, 74, since Forehand became the District 17 senator.

Throughout the campaign the two struggled to separate themselves on the issues. Both support finishing the Intercounty Connector, oppose county funding of teacher pensions and support closing the "LLC loophole," which allows companies to elude campaign finance laws and donate significant sums to candidates.

The two focused on crafting their image.

Kagan's campaign was all about energy. She often referred to herself as an advocate ready to fight for Montgomery County's needs in Annapolis at a time when, she said, the Senate looks at the county as its "piggy bank."

Forehand pointed to everything she had accomplished in 32 years of legislative experience, especially passing a smoking ban in Maryland. She said the trust she had built with state legislators and local stakeholders cannot be matched.

The two served together for eight years starting in 1995 after Kagan was elected as a delegate. Forehand also served as a delegate from 1978 through 1994. After two terms in the House, Kagan stepped down from her position because she said then and now that it is more about service than title.

As for their relationship, Forehand said the two were friends in a general sense until Kagan set her eyes on Forehand's seat back in 2005. That is when Kagan ran an exploratory campaign but dropped out because, she said, she wanted to focus on her work with several community organizations.

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