North Dakota lawmaker who died of coronavirus wins election
A North Dakota lawmaker who died from the coronavirus about a month before Election Day won election to the state House of Representatives.
David Andahl died Oct. 5 from complications from the coronavirus. He was 55.
On Tuesday, he won 35.5% of the vote for the 8th district seat in North Dakota’s House of Representatives, the Washington Post reported.
Pat Andahl said her son was careful about the coronavirus, which hit the state hard in the fall, and that he looked forward to serving in government.
“He had a lot of feelings for his county and his country and wanting to make things better, and his heart was in farming. He wanted things better for farmers and the coal industry,” Andahl told the Bismarck Tribune in October. “So many things he was very passionate about, and was hoping that he could get into the Legislature and be of some help. He was looking forward to it. He was looking forward to being part of that.”
In October, the state attorney general addressed how to proceed should Andahl win, the local Republican Party will fill the seat until a special election is held, the Grand Forks Herald reported.
This is not the first time a deceased candidate has won an election. Since 2000, it has happened at least six times, the Post reported.
