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It was one of the closest races of the evening and in the end, the winner walked away with only 381 more votes than the opponent.

Dr. Kurt Hofmann, a Republican, won election as Lawrence County Coroner. He garnered 12,774 votes while Dr. Portia Canos, a Democrat, collected 12,393.

Hofmann said he was relieved the campaign was over, noting he had “ a worthy opponent.” He said his next challenge is a three-day training session for incoming coroners that he will attend in December.

“I promise to do my best for the citizens of Lawrence County, maintain integrity and try to maintain budgetary constraints in difficult economic times,” Hofmann said.

If Hofmann himself is glad to have the campaign behind him, his wife, Chris, said she found the whole thing exciting. “I’m really into this now,” she laughed as she waited for the results Tuesday evening.

Chris Hofmann admitted at first she thought her husband “was nuts” when he first said he wanted to run for office.

Canos began the evening with a lead that diminished with time. She said in spite of her election night loss, she still had her medical career.

She said she was thankful to her patients and friends who campaigned on her behalf.

“Campaigning was difficult since I am a doctor but my patients gave out fliers and asked for my signs. I really want to thank them for their hard work. They worked hard for me,” Canos said.

Hofmann, the Republican, has served as deputy coroner five years and was appointed by the Lawrence County Republican Party to replace Dr. A. Burton Payne when he retired this summer.

Both Hofmann and Canos practice medicine in Ironton.