Though her victory was not yet official, Nessel spoke at the statewide Democratic watch party at the Motor City Casino in Detroit and used her time to make a big statement about why she ran — without using her words.

“For those of you out there that can’t handle the fact that I’m about to become the first openly gay person to hold statewide office," she said Tuesday night before giving her wife, Alanna Maguire, a big kiss.

Nessel has said that a major reason for her Attorney General run was to protect the rights of the LGBT community.

“I remember that feeling of thinking that my government didn’t care about me. I wasn’t part of this state," she said. "My family was not a part of this state, and our government was openly hostile to us.” 

Nessel was joined on stage by her family and former clients Jayne Rowse and April DeBoer. Nessel defended Rowse and DeBoer in a 2012 Michigan Supreme Court case that helped solidify the court’s decision to recognize same-sex couples' rights and allowed the couple to legally adopt.

The man she battled in that case, outgoing Republican Attorney General Bill Schuette, lost the gubernatorial race to Democrat Gretchen Whitmer Tuesday night.

“From now on, everyone in this state that has felt like they weren’t included and their government did not care about them. I don’t care what your race or your religion, or your ethnicity or your national origin, or your sexual orientation or your gender identity. You belong here. You are a Michigander and as of now you have a government that cares about you,” Nessel said.

Nessel will become the first Democrat to hold the office of Attorney General in Michigan in 16 years, as Republican Mike Cox preceded Schuette from 2003 to 2011.

Nessel closed with an impassioned call to her supporters.

“Whenever you feel like you need someone there for you, when you’ve had somebody rip you off or scam you, or you have a company that has polluted your environment, or if you live in a nursing home and you feel like you’ve been abused or neglected, or if your civil rights have been infringed upon and you say to yourself, ‘Who’s going to be my lawyer? Who’s going to represent me?' … I will represent you. I will be your lawyer and I will work relentlessly towards justice for everybody in this state," she said.

Nessel's win, coupled with Whitmer's gubernatorial victory and incumbent Democrat Debbie Stabenow's senatorial victory over challenger John James, marks a significant left turn for Michigan, one of the major "battleground states" that President Donald Trump won in 2016 and helped decide that election.

Scott Hagerstrom, Trump's Michigan campaign director in 2016, spoke to The State News at the Republican watch party in Lansing. He expressed his disappointment in the evening's statewide results, but kept a national focus.

"There’s a lot of good things going on around the country. You look at the future of our country, the Republicans are gonna gain seats in the U.S. Senate," Hagerstrom said. "They’re not gonna lose as many seats in the House as normally the party in power loses. Definitely for the future of our country, it’s a very positive (development)."

The U.S. House of Representatives flipped to Democratic control, while Republicans extended their lead in the U.S. Senate.

Tom Leonard did not speak to reporters Tuesday night, as he waited for more results to come in. When he did concede, he released a short statement congratulating Nessel.

"Last night’s results may be personally disappointing, but it is time to move forward and allow Michigan’s next attorney general to begin transitioning into this important role.  Dana Nessel ran a smart campaign and earned the voters’ trust.  I have offered her any help she may need getting acclimated to the department and beginning her term.  I will always have a passion for serving alongside law enforcement and making our state safer and stronger for Michigan families, and I wish Dana the best as she assumes that mantle on our behalf."