Laurie Lawson Cox is the newest member of the Leon County School Board. Cox beat out Godby Assistant Principal Alex Stemle for the job

Cox had the informal backing of the local Mom’s 4 Liberty chapter, though it did not make a formal endorsement in the race. Stemle, meanwhile, had the backing of the local teachers union.

Laurie Cox thanked her friends and family gathered in her home Tuesday night for helping her win the Leon County School Board's District 4 seat.

About 40 people standing in Cox's kitchen and living room took a break from watching the rest of the Election Day results roll in on CBS when Cox hushed the room to thank her supporters.

"You just try to make an impact wherever God places you, whether you're at work, at the grocery store or at the Circle K," she said.

"It has been a most incredible experience. I am most thankful to you, and thankful to God, first of all, who called me to do this," she added.

As polls closed at 7 p.m., Stemle led Cox by less than 1 percentage point, but lost the lead as Election Day votes began rolling in.In the August primary, Stemle won the most votes with 46.4%, only 2.4 percentage points ahead of Cox, who fell closely behind with 44% of the vote.

Cox, who was a PE teacher for 33 years with the district, outraised Stemle in campaign contributions almost three-fold as of late October.Cox will take the District 4 seat Nov. 22.