A North Dakota state legislative candidate, who died in October due to COVID-19 complications, has won his election on Tuesday, November 3.
The 55-year-old Republican, David Andahl and another GOP candidate, Dave Nehring, were elected to represent the 8th district in the state’s House of Representatives in Tuesday’s election.
Andahl and Nehring who both won the Republican’s endorsements and voters’ nominations defeated one of North Dakota’s most powerful lawmakers, Rep. Jeff Delzer, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.
He remained on the ballot, in part because early voting had begun weeks before his death. His mother, Pat Andahl, told the Bismarck Tribune that she was unsure how he contracted the virus because he had been “very careful”.
Republicans are set to choose Andahl‘s replacement by using a committee to make an appointment, according to previous statements by North Dakota‘s attorney general. However, voters could call for a special election.
Andahl, who won about 35% of the vote to win the seat, died after being hospitalized with the illness for about four days.
Pat said her son was eager to become an elected official in the country, stressing;
He had a lot of feelings for his county … and wanting to make things better, and his heart was in farming. He wanted things better for farmers and the coal industry.
