Elementary school teacher Peggy Bennett defeated incumbent House District 27A Rep. Shannon Savick on Tuesday in what has historically been one of the state’s swing districts.

Bennett, R-Albert Lea, received 1,829 more votes than Savick, DFL-Wells, with 7,318 votes and 5,489 votes respectively. Independence Party candidate Tom Price of rural Alden received 925 votes, or 7 percent.

“I am awestruck. I’m humbled. I’m thankful,” said Bennett, who teaches first-grade at Sibley Elementary. “It’s really an amazing feeling.”

The race has drawn state leaders, including gubernatorial candidates, to town in recent weeks to rally for the candidates. Outside groups have also spent big money on the candidates as both sides struggled for power in the state Legislature.

Bennett thanked Savick, individually, for running a clean campaign.

“My heart goes out to her because I know how hard she worked,” she said. “I know how hard I worked.”

Savick came over to Bennett in the room set up for Republicans to shake Bennett’s hand, and the two ultimately hugged.

Bennett, who has been teaching for 33 years, has been on a leave this fall for her campaign. Upon hearing the election results Tuesday, she said she will most likely retire from teaching to become a full-time representative.

She campaigned on putting people before politics and being able to stand up for the needs of District 27A, even if she has to go against her party. She said jobs, healthcare, education and property taxes are the top concerns she’s heard from residents she has met with, and these concerns in turn became some of the top priorities in her campaign.

Savick, 74, was the former mayor of Wells in 2009 and 2010 and is retired from a high-technology industry. She said though she was disappointed in the results, she was proud of her record while in office.

“I did get a lot of stuff done for 27A and made a lot of new friends,” she said.

She helped secure funding for several local projects, including $7.5 million to dredge Fountain Lake, $433,000 to extend the Blazing Star Trail from Myre-Big Island State Park to Hayward and $700,000 for the installation of a fish barrier on the Albert Lea Lake dam. Riverland Community College also received $1.7 million, Blooming Prairie received $230,000 and Albert Lea Lake received $172,000. She received statewide recognition for creating a pilot program to help recruit firefighters and emergency responders through a $500 stipend from the state.

Savick said she plans to travel and visit friends and simply enjoy retired life.

As she prepares for her first legislative session, Bennett said she hopes to first look into some of the state’s priorities and discover its needs versus wants.

She said she wants her students to be able to enjoy the same state and country that she grew up in.

She joked that she needed to start looking for a place in St. Paul that would allow her 110-pound dog, Colter, who was made famous earlier this year on Fox & Friends.

She has trained the dog to read and obey simple cue cards and uses him as a motivation for her students to read and write in the classroom.

Price could not be reached for comment.

District 27A encompasses all of Freeborn County and portions of Faribault, Mower, Dodge and Steele counties.