The race between longtime state Rep. Kevin Ryan, D-Montville, and his Republican challenger, Mark Adams, was too close to call late Tuesday as final vote totals came in at a trickle in some districts.

Ryan, a longtime Montville resident, is seeking his 17th term in office. He first won his seat in the House of Representatives in 1993.

While early vote totals showed Adams outpolling Ryan in Montville, early votes had yet to be tallied in Norwich and Ledyard. Adams received more votes than Ryan in Montville in the 2022 election but lost the race.

Adams, reached by phone late Tuesday, said he was ready to wait throughout the night for final numbers.

“We knew this was going to be a tight race,” Adams said. “I feel I did a great job getting my message out but there are a lot of people who still need to learn about their local candidates. People have to do their homework. The local elections are the most important ones.”

Ryan said he had expected the high number of early votes to delay results.

“I would like to know now, but I understand this is the first time around and there might be some issues,” Ryan said of early voting.

Adams, a security officer at Connecticut College, is making a second attempt at the office, which he first sought in 2022. He previously ran for a seat on the Norwich City Council and lost by 10 votes.

Ryan is a former optometrist who now works as an adjunct professor at the University of New Haven.

g.smith@theday.com