An Oakland County judicial candidate arrested in September on suspicion of drunken driving overcame four write-in challengers to win Tuesday's election.

Julie McDonald, 49, of Bloomfield Hills won a six-year seat on the Oakland County Circuit bench.

The race had been closely watched since McDonald's arrest became public and challengers launched last-minute, write-in campaigns. She had been running unopposed for a new seat on the Oakland court.

McDonald had the only name appearing on ballots, but Michael Blau, 63, of Farmington; Maryann Bruder, 44, of Huntington Woods; Edward Nahhat, 57, of Royal Oak, and Corinne Shoop, 58, of Beverly Hills campaigned as write-in candidates.

In the final tally, McDonald polled 332,459 votes. The write-ins totaled 11,656.

Winning as a write-in candidate is difficult, but it’s not unprecedented.

On Sept 8, Royal Oak police stopped McDonald at 10:44 a.m. on Woodward near 11 Mile. An officer said he smelled "alcoholic intoxicants" inside the SUV and said McDonald's eyes were "watery and bloodshot."

McDonald blew a .102 blood alcohol content during the stop and later blew a .08 at the police station, according to the police report. It’s illegal to drive in Michigan with a blood alcohol content of .08 or greater.

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Last week, the operating while intoxicated charge was dismissed as part of a plea deal. McDonald admitted tossing a cigarette out of the car window, pleaded guilty to littering and admitted responsibility to careless driving, a civil infraction.

Her lawyer read a statement then, saying McDonald “sincerely regrets her actions.”

Royal Oak City Attorney David Gillam said McDonald’s case was treated like any other.

The State Court Administrative Office continues to monitor the case, a spokesman said.

McDonald is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 13 in Royal Oak’s 44th District Court.

Contact Elisha Anderson: eanderson@freepress.com or 313-222-5144. Free Press staff writer Bill Laitner contributed to this report.