Democratic district attorney candidate Stacy Parks Miller won the municipal election Tuesday over Republican incumbent Michael Madeira, taking 64.7 percent of the votes in Centre County. The results came as a surprise to many, including the winner.

"I'm grateful, and I'm a little bit surprised," Parks Miller said. "It's a big margin. We were very

optimistic, but you never know with an election."

For Parks Miller, the victory was a result of months of one-on-one contact with voters on the campaign trail.

"It's pretty simple -- when I knocked at homeowners' doors, I talked about the issues they wanted to hear," she said. "They knew I was the candidate that had the same issues on my mind. They knew I was talking about the same issues they had."

Madeira, who will finish his four-year term as district attorney in January, said that while he was disappointed by the loss, he plans to help Parks Miller with her new position. Shortly after 10:30 p.m. he gave a concession speech to his supporters and phoned Parks Miller his congratulations.

He's looking forward to spending more time with his family, he said.

"I will work with her to ensure a smooth transition in the next two months," he wrote in an e-mail. "I look forward to continuing to serve Centre County as a private citizen in whatever capacity will help to make us a safer place to live, work and raise our families."

A defense attorney for eight years, Parks Miller said she is eager to return to prosecuting because she "has really missed it." While in office, the new district attorney wants to reconstruct the office based on the principles upon which she campaigned.

"I'll be more involved with the cases -- I'll take more responsibility with the cases," she said. "I will make sure my staff has the same vision I do."

Centre County Democrats Chairwoman Dianne Gregg said she was also surprised by the results of the election.

"It was an overwhelming victory," Gregg said. "It's a little bigger than I expected, but I expected her win solidly."

Gregg said the win was the result of Parks Miller running a "smart, classy" campaign that focused on issues rather than politics.

In the end, Parks Miller said her disconnection from politics was her greatest asset for the race. She said there was nothing more she could have done in the campaign to make it more efficient.

"We realized we did everything we set out to do," Parks Miller said. "We reached the people we wanted to reach and got our message out there."

She said she believes Centre County wanted a change in the district attorney's office.

"I've had zero connection to anything political before this campaign," Parks Miller said Monday. "It's been a strength, because people are tired of the usual. They're sick of the political game. They like a fresh face."