After a lengthy and hard-fought battle, the GOP endorsement for Minnesota House District 56B went to Roz Peterson.

A Lakeville School Board member, Peterson came out ahead of Terry McCall of Burnsville in voting at the district’s second endorsing convention Thursday night in Burnsville.

Peterson and McCall were deadlocked in balloting for the endorsement during the district’s first convention in March, thus forcing the second round.

According to SunThisweek.com, the fight to the finish line lasted four rounds on Thursday night. To qualify, the winning candidate needed 60 percent of the delegates' vote — or 68 votes. Peterson took 57 votes on the first ballot, 62 on the second and 64 on the third. Votes on a fourth round had already been counted when McCall bowed out and gave Peterson his personal endorsement.

The newly created District 56B, formed as result of the state’s recent redistricting process, includes a large part of Burnsville and northwestern Lakeville.

Former House member Will Morgan of Burnsville is the DFL-endorsed candidate in the district.

Peterson, if she wins the seat, would have to resign from Lakeville's School Board, where she's been a member since 2007. Her term is slated to run through Dec. 31, 2014.