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The second episode of the drama about leadership of the Screen Actors Guild looked a lot like a rerun.

Former "Little House on the Prairie" star Melissa Gilbert easily defeated former "Rhoda" star Valerie Harper to become president of the union, which represents more than 98,000 movie and TV performers nationwide, according to results released by SAG early Saturday.

Gilbert had also won a SAG election held in November, but a revote was called because the union elections committee threw out those results. Bitterness over that decision was evident in a flurry of mass e-mails sent to union members by actors including Mike Farrell, Danny Glover and Morgan Fairchild.

Between votes, the 37-year-old Gilbert's support grew stronger. In the latest mail-in vote she garnered 21,351 votes, or 57 percent, compared to Harper's 12,613 votes, or 34 percent. The margin was 45.3 percent to 39.4 percent in November.

Eugene Boggs was third and Angel Tompkins took fourth place, the same positions they held in the first election.

"It's been kind of dismaying that I had to go through this again," Gilbert said early Saturday, "but the silver lining is that more of our membership voted than in any other election, which shows that our membership is interested in what we're doing."

Turnout was a record 41 percent of SAG's 91,000 eligible voters, compared to 28.1 percent in November.

Harper, 61, said in a statement: "I want to sincerely thank everyone who supported my candidacy. In this election, rerun in a fair and uniform manner, the real winner is the democratic process."

Gilbert's victory is expected to give support to several issues before the guild. The largest involves a tentative deal to loosen financial restrictions on talent agents. Gilbert supported the move and Harper opposed it.

SAG's national board is scheduled to vote on the issue Monday before sending it on for membership approval.

Another prominent issue in the campaign was Canadian production subsidies used to attract Hollywood business north. Harper supported federal import penalties against producers using the subsidies. Gilbert contended such a strategy would be misguided.

The contest came in the aftermath of a commercial actors' strike and an averted walkout by movie and TV actors under one-term SAG President William Daniels ("St. Elsewhere," "Boy Meets World").

The strike against commercial producers cost actors undetermined millions of dollars and the Los Angeles area at least $125 million in lost production as it drove commercial work abroad.

Harper supported Daniels and his record. Gilbert was critical of the union's direction.

Last fall, the SAG elections committee voted unanimously that the positions of president, treasurer and secretary be rerun, alleging polling administrator Sequoia Voting Systems and top SAG executives violated rules. The problems included a two-day extension granted to New York members to mail in their ballots.

Some union members contend the revote was simply an attempt to change the results of the election, and the U.S. Department of Labor is investigating.

In the latest election, Kent McCord retained his position as treasurer. Elliott Gould retained the position of recording secretary.