Mr Johnsen received 52.95 per cent of the vote after preferences were distributed, surviving a massive swing of just under 21 per cent to hold out Labor’s Martin Rush.

In a seat that has never been held by Labor, Mr Rush polled well in the large mining centres of Muswellbrook and Singleton but found little support from Gloucester voters.

Nearly half (643) of the 1318 first preference votes cast by Gloucester residents at the town’s two polling booths (the Senior Citizens Centre and Gloucester High) on Saturday went to Mr Johnsen, with Mr Rush tallying half that again.

A total of 31,459 formal ballots were cast in the Upper Hunter with Mr Johnsen receiving 39.99 per cent (12,581) and Mr Rush 31.24 per cent (9828) of the primary vote.

Independent Lee Watts was a distant third with 19.72 per cent (6209) of the primary vote while Greens candidate John Kaye picked up just 5.41 per cent (1702).

Christian Democrat Richard Stretton received two per cent of the vote and No Land Tax candidate Louisa Checchin 1.54 per cent. 

Mr Johnsen told ABC Radio it had been a tough contest.

“Quite frankly, the tightness of the result reflects the quality of the campaign and the candidates involved,” he said.

“I really am looking forward to working extremely hard for the people of the Upper Hunter over the next four years.”

Labor candidate Martin Rush said he was enormously proud of his efforts in making the Upper Hunter a marginal seat.

“We ran a grass-roots campaign with lots of door-knocking, workplace conversations, and telephoning. We can be proud that we have achieved the best result for Labor in the Upper Hunter at a general election in almost a century,” he posted on his Facebook page after conceding defeat to Mr Johnsen.

“Communities like Singleton, Muswellbrook and Denman have returned to Labor. We have also won in towns that have rarely, if ever, voted Labor before such as Dungog, Clarence Town, Vacy, Paterson and Caroona.” 

The government and Opposition committed a combined total of more than $615 million to health, road and other funding in the electorate during the campaign. 

Issues surrounding coal seam gas and mining in the electorate failed to have the impact on Mr Johnsen’s election to State Parliament seen elsewhere in National Party seats.

The Greens have won the previously safe North Coast Nationals seat of Ballina while the seat of Lismore was also likely to go to the Greens.

Concern over coal seam gas was seen as one of the key reasons behind the likely defeat of both Nationals candidates.