Former state Rep. Shelley Madore successfully defied her party's endorsement and defeated Dan Powers in the Second District congressional primary Tuesday, an upset victory that hands her a spot on the ballot against U.S. Rep. John Kline in November.

Madore's win likely came as a surprise to many local DFL leaders, who endorsed Powers in March. After promising to remain out of the race, Madore later changed her mind — a move that upset some party loyalists.

"The voters tonight stepped up and said, you know what? We want a strong challenger against John Kline and they made a choice tonight," Madore said. She added, "I am prepared. We are ready to go. Our race against John Kline starts tomorrow morning at 9 a.m."

Madore faces a steep challenge against Kline, a Republican who has finished about 15 points ahead of every DFL challenger since he was first elected to Congress in 2002.

Jeanne Thomas, the local DFL party chair, said she could not comment on the race Tuesday night because she was attending to a friend in the hospital. Both Powers and his campaign manager's phones went to voicemail.

Powers campaign manager Mary Breitenstein sends this statement from the candidate: "I've spoken to Ms. Madore and I wish the district well."

Madore held a steady lead over Powers as precincts updated results on Tuesday evening. The final tally was 55 percent Madore, 45 percent Powers.

Fundraising will likely prove to be a key factor in whether Madore can wage a sizeable campaign by November. She raised only $42,000 by late July, miles behind past Kline challengers. Powers had raised about twice as much.