Former Liberal MP Sarah Henderson will return to federal Parliament after winning preselection to fill a Senate vacancy in Victoria.
In a tight race, Ms Henderson defeated Greg Mirabella, the husband of former Indi MP Sophie Mirabella, with a final vote count of 234 to 197.
She will now take on the Senate vacancy created when former communications minister and senator Mitch Fifield resigned to take up a position as UN ambassador.
Ms Henderson had the backing of Prime Minister Scott Morrison and her former federal colleagues, including Treasurer Josh Frydenberg.
Her triumph will be seen as vindication for the federal MPs' decision to back her and indicates their influence in the, at times fractured, state branch.
In a brief statement after the vote, Ms Henderson said she was "deeply honoured and humbled" to have been preselected and thanked delegates as well as Mr Morrison and Mr Frydenberg.
"I will be working around the clock, right across this great state, representing the people of Victoria and as I say, I'm incredibly proud and honoured to have been selected today," she said.
Backers of Ms Henderson included federal MPs from across the ideological divide, including conservative MP Kevin Andrews, who wrote an endorsement for his former colleague.
But she faced a counter-campaign from religious conservatives, who criticised her views on abortion and marriage equality,
Factional battle backdrop to preselection
The preselection battle has been viewed as a test of factional influence in the fractious Victorian branch of the Liberal Party.
Ms Henderson had the backing of federal MPs and a group of party members that included former party president Michael Kroger.
Mr Mirabella has attracted support from those agitating for change to the party's status quo and those who are frustrated over the state of the party.
In recent years, there has been a concerted recruitment drive focused on conservative churches and community groups. Former Family First candidates have also joined the party.
This recruitment pitch was driven by prominent Liberal figure Marcus Bastiaan, who is close to Mr Kroger.
Some in the party have accused Mr Bastiaan of being a branch stacker.
There have been fears from some Victorians that the party will become "unelectable'' in the state if it "lurches too hard to the right".
But in the past year, a group of religious conservatives associated with federal vice-president Karina Okotel have split away from a group aligned to Mr Bastiaan.
The Liberals were thrashed at November's Victorian state election and hold just 12 of the state's 38 federal seats despite Mr Morrison's federal election triumph.
