Topeka ? After a week of vote counting, Republican Phill Kline on Tuesday won the attorney generalâÂÂs race and repeated his campaign vow to enforce state restrictions on late-term abortions, which he says do not include a mental health exception.

Democratic opponent Chris Biggs, the Geary County prosecutor, conceded defeat and withdrew his bid for a recount after a final vote tally by the secretary of state showed Kline winning, 412,686 to 408,390.

The 4,296-vote difference put the margin of victory at 0.523 percent out of more than 820,000 votes cast, or 191 votes more than what would have triggered a state-paid recount.

Biggs said that even if the results had entitled him to a state-paid recount, he wouldnâÂÂt have gone through with it. He said a recount probably wouldnâÂÂt have changed the outcome because any errors found in the balloting would have affected both candidates evenly.

âÂÂIâÂÂm very blessed,â Biggs said, conceding defeat at a Capitol news conference and holding his 17-week-old son, Benjamin. âÂÂIâÂÂm not leaving here distraught or sad.âÂÂ

Indeed, Biggsâ campaign was the surprise of the 2002 election. Biggs entered the race late, was outspent more than 2-to-1 and nearly overcame the large advantage Republican candidates enjoy in GOP voter registration. Polls toward the end of the campaign showed Kline, a former state legislator from Shawnee, was rapidly losing a once comfortable lead.

On Election Day, the results showed Kline slightly ahead before the counting of 15,000 provisional ballots. Provisional ballots are cast when poll workers are not sure about the eligibility of a voter.

With those counted, Kline pulled slightly further ahead.

Biggs declined to speculate on whether he would have won had he received more campaign contributions or if the election season had been a couple of days longer.

About 90 minutes before Biggs conceded, Kline declared victory and named his transition team. He said he was âÂÂhumbledâ to win.

âÂÂI plan to reach out to all Kansans,â he said.

In response to reportersâ questions, Kline reiterated his belief that state law does not allow for a mental-health exception on late-term abortions.

âÂÂI will enforce the law,â he said.

The current attorney general, Republican Carla Stovall, has interpreted the state law to allow a mental-health exception to be constitutional.

But, Kline said, as of now, he had no evidence the law was being violated.

Kline appointed Dickinson County Attorney Eric Rucker as leader of his transition team and former attorney general Robert Stephan as a special adviser.

Another core member of the team is Stephen McAllister, dean of the Kansas University School of Law. Kline said McAllister had agreed to continue serving as state solicitor, which helps the Attorney GeneralâÂÂs Office prepare for appellate court cases.