A viral photo taken in 2017 shows a cyclist flipping her middle finger at Donald Trump's presidential convoy.
The image cost Juli Briskman - the cyclist - her job at the time.
But now, two years on, she has won her bid for local office in Virginia.
Ms Briskman has won her race to become the supervisor for Algonkian District in Loudoun County.
"Looking forward to representing my friends and neighbours in Algonkian District who backed me up today," she wrote on Twitter after the win.
An earlier tweet from her said: "We're optimistic that Loudoun and Virginia will reject the Trump agenda and set the national tone for 2020."
Aside from a small bicycle-shaped pin worn above her heart, Ms Briskman rarely mentions "the incident".
On that Saturday in October 2017, the 52-year-old athlete showed Mr Trump exactly what she thought of him, as his imposing convoy of black SUVs passed her on the road outside the Trump National Golf Club.
Immortalised in an AFP photograph, the snapshot quickly went viral.
But the image also cost Ms Briskman her job as a marketing analyst for a United States government and military subcontractor.
A 'megaphone'
Ms Briskman's gesture got a widely varied reception in a politically divided US.
While some viewed her defiant finger as a sign of resistance, the photo also brought her insults and threats.
She also sued her former employer for unfair dismissal, accusing it of violating her freedom of speech.
But getting fired "did open a lot of doors in other ways," Ms Briskman admitted, in her home in Sterling, where she keeps a binder full of press clippings, cartoons and traces of televised appearances related to the incident.
A single mother of two teens, Ms Briskman quickly found a new job.
Soon after, she was asked to run for county supervisor, a local office, on the Democratic ticket.
It didn't take long for her to decide.
Political engagement felt obvious to her since she has been involved in her community for a long time.
"I did feel a little bit of responsibility, (because) I was handed a megaphone," she explained.
"I can't run against Trump, but I can run for this seat and make a difference right here."
The marathon runner wanted to show that there was "substance" behind her candidacy - education, women's rights, transportation and environmental issues - and that she wasn't "just the person that rode my bike one day and flipped off the president."
While campaigning, she stuck to a tried-and-true strategy: when going door to door in Loudoun County, the wealthiest in the US, Ms Briskman doesn't bring up the image that sparked her 15 minutes of fame.
She only mentions it when the homeowners "start talking about the administration" or comment on her bicycle pin.
With additional reporting from AFP
