Penn State alumna Kelly Ayotte won the governor’s race for New Hampshire, the Associated Press called on Tuesday night. Ayotte, a Republican, won the race with nearly 53% of the vote with 89% of votes counted around 2 a.m. on Wednesday.

Born in New Hampshire, Ayotte attended Penn State in 1990 with a bachelor’s degree in political science before going to Villanova for law school. Ayotte returned to Penn State in 2015 as the commencement speaker for the Dickinson School of Law.

After leaving Villanova, Ayotte clerked for an associate justice on the New Hampshire Supreme Court. She worked with a private law firm from 1994 to 1998 before beginning to work for the New Hampshire Attorney General’s office. In June 2004, Ayotte became New Hampshire’s first female attorney general.

Ayotte ran for U.S. Senate in 2010, holding her position from 2011 to 2017. She lost her seat in the 2016 election.

Ayotte defeated former Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig for the governor’s seat.

“I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart,” Ayotte said in her victory speech. “When I announced this campaign, I said we (New Hampshire) were one election away from becoming Massachusetts. Well, guess what? Not on my watch. What an incredible victory.”