AUGUSTA — Gabrielle Bérubé Pierce won the special election Tuesday for the at-large seat on the Augusta Board of Education, unofficial results show.

Bérubé Pierce, a 39-year-old mother of two Augusta School Department students and the policy director for the Maine Office of Cannabis Policy, defeated Nicholas Blanchard Sr. with 61.6% of the vote, 2,577-1,258. In total, 4,184 votes were cast, including 349 write-ins and blank ballots.

While the race was officially nonpartisan, Bérubé Pierce secured the endorsement of the Augusta Democratic City Committee, while Blanchard, who goes by the moniker “Corn Pop,” ran with the endorsements of prominent Republicans, including gubernatorial candidate David Jones.

In a Maine Trust for Local News candidate survey, Bérubé Pierce, a graduate of the University of Maine’s School of Law, said she plans to prioritize encouraging community engagement in schools and creating a welcoming environment for students.

“Our schools teach students to think critically and communicate effectively,” she said in the survey. “They prepare the next generation of workers, leaders and entrepreneurs, and they are often the only resource for families. We can welcome residents into schools through volunteering, sports, art and community use of schools to deepen connections between our schools and city.”

She also said she hoped to provide “ample resources for our students, teachers, staff and administrators.” Bérubé Pierce criticized the Augusta City Council for imposing $3.3 million in cuts on the school department this spring and repeatedly advocated for more school funding. Blanchard supported those cuts.

Augusta voters approved the slashed school budget 2,505-1,439.

The race was largely defined by Blanchard, a conservative firebrand who has gained thousands of followers on social media by criticizing school boards in Augusta and across Maine over their transgender-inclusive policies. Blanchard has called supporters of LGBTQ+ people the “alphabet mafia” and has styled his social media posts — which include dozens of artificial intelligence-created graphics — after President Donald Trump’s Truth Social account.

In a video posted on his Facebook page about two hours before the results were released, Blanchard said he appreciated the support of his followers.

“Don’t think that this fight is over,” he said. “Do not think that I will stop. Do not think that I will back down. God’s will will be done, whether it’s a win or a loss.”

Wednesday morning, Blanchard posted again on Facebook, congratulating Bérubé Pierce while saying “but now you have to deal with me at every meeting … SEE YOU SOON.”

Blanchard gained thousands of followers online when he began publicly criticizing the Augusta Board of Education over its transgender-inclusive interpretation of Title IX, the federal law that prevents sex-based discrimination in schools. Blanchard, who sued the Augusta school board over public comment policies earlier this year, has expanded his activism statewide, protesting other school boards‘ policies on transgender students.

Blanchard’s antics, which included recruiting several adults to undress during a school board meeting to protest protections for transgender students and remaining silent while eating popcorn during an allotted public comment period, appear not to have swayed most Augusta voters.

Bérubé Pierce will be sworn in next month. It will be her first time holding elected office.