A cyclist who lost her job after she showed the middle finger at United States President Donald Trump’s convoy in 2017 was on Tuesday elected to a local office in Virginia, AFP reported. Juli Briskman, whose one-handed salute photo was widely shared, beat Republican candidate Suzanne Volpe for a seat on the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors in Virginia.

In 2017, Briskman was cycling in Lowes Island Boulevard near one of Trump’s golf courses when she reacted in protest against the president’s policies. She then lost her job as a marketing analyst for a United States government and military subcontractor. However, she had said the photo “opened a lot of doors” during her campaign, including the invitation to run for elections on the Democratic Party ticket.

She celebrated the victory with the same image in a tweet and said: “Looking forward to representing my friends and neighbors in Algonkian District who backed me up today! So proud that we were able to #FlipLoudpun. Thank you Loudoun.”

“Two years ago I was fired for standing up to the backwards agenda of Donald Trump,” she told HuffPost. “But now my neighbours in Algonkian District have backed me up and rejected the Trump agenda.”

She added that the election was a tough race. “We worked really hard on this campaign. I’m excited to create a Loudoun County that works for everyone,” Briskman said.

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