A Republican candidate has won a seat on the North Dakota state legislature nearly a month after he died with coronavirus.
North Dakota election officials said David Andahl won a seat as state representative for District 8 on Tuesday.
But Mr Andahl died on October 5 after contracting Covid-19 four days earlier.
Secretary of State Al Jaeger said there was “no way to remove” Mr Andahl from the ballot as voting had already started at the time of his death.
At the time of the nominee’s death, Mr Jaeger said that he and his office were looking into the protocol for how to handle a potential Andahl win on Election Day.
Republicans could choose Andahl's replacement by using a committee to make an appointment, according to previous statements by North Dakota's attorney general. But voters could call for a special election.
Mr Andahl's parents Pat and Ron Andahl confirmed that the District 8 candidate died after a brief battle with the coronavirus, according to Grand Forks Herald.
Republican David Andahl, who died from COVID-19 in October, has been elected to the North Dakota House of Representatives #Election2020 pic.twitter.com/25L8KT3KIj
— Eng. DAN CHEPTA 🇰🇪 (@danchepta1) November 4, 2020
In a statement to Forum News Service, Mr and Mrs Andahl said their son was a “kind, caring man whose greated joy was helping others.”
“He has been a public servant for many years and was looking forward to the opportunity to serve in the state legislature. We are sad that his wish will not come to pass,” said Mr Andahl’s parents.
