HAMILTON — After one of the most heated Butler County races in a decade or more, Republican Robin Piper emerged the victor.

        Mr. Piper drew 65,745 votes, topping Democrat Dan Gattermeyer's total of 59,539, according to final but unofficial results. Early on, Mr. Piper had a 10-percentage-point lead over his opponent. Although Mr. Gattermeyer narrowed the gap as the night went on, he was unable to overtake Mr. Piper's lead.

        The two former friends — also ex-colleagues in the prosecutor's office — both made their first run for public office in a political climate so hostile that it made even seasoned politicians cringe.

        As the election neared, any appearance of a “positive campaign” vanished, despite both candidates' expressed hopes that the race wouldn't slide into the political gutter. The candidates' ads, some of them controversial, seemed to saturate TV and newspapers.

        The Democrats — almost an endangered species in Republican-dominated Butler — desperately wanted to cling to the office they've controlled since 1965, when Richard J. Wessel served.

        In office since 1973, Prosecutor John F. Holcomb died of a heart attack in July — a casualty of the nasty political campaign, some party faithful asserted. For them, the campaign became a crusade to avenge Mr. Holcomb's death.

        Mr. Piper listed Mr. Holcomb's predecessor, Mr. Wessel, among his support ers.

        The Republicans had long coveted the office, but rarely dared to challenge Mr. Holcomb's regime. Mr. Piper said he stepped up only because he thought Mr. Holcomb, in ill health, was going to step aside. But the Democrats saw Mr. Piper's candidacy as ruthless opportunism at a time when Mr. Holcomb was vulnerable.

        To say the battle was hard-fought on both sides is an understatement.

        Hardly a day passed without allegations: misrepresentations about the number of cases won and lost; questionable campaign contributions; and claims of lies, lies, lies.

        The race also cost a boatload of bucks — and is being described as one of the costliest in the county's history.

        Mr. Gattermeyer inherited at least $116,000 from Mr. Holcomb's re-election fund, most of which came from the controversial “2 Percent Club” — prosecutor's employees donating about 2 percent of their salaries toward their boss's campaign war chest. Mr. Gattermeyer spent nearly $82,600 of that money in three months; Mr. Piper, $66,000 since April.

        The true cost of the race — emotionally, politically and monetarily — remains to be seen.

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