Man who died of coronavirus wins seat in state legislature in US election

Republican David Andahl, who died from Covid-19 in October, won his election to the North Dakota state legislature on Tuesday.

Andahl, a “Trump Republican”, according to the Grand Forks Herald, ran a primary challenge against a powerful Republican and won earlier this year. He was then endorsed by influential figures like Gov. Doug Burgum, who won re-election on Tuesday.

He was elected to the state House of Representatives for the 8th District alongside fellow Republican Dave Nehring, North Dakota election officials declared.

Andahl was 55 when he died on Oct. 5, less than a week after he was admitted to the hospital for coronavirus infection.

The state of North Dakota, which has a population of just over 760,000 according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s most recent estimate, has the highest per capita Covid-19 case rate in the country. As of last week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ways the North Dakota coronavirus rate is over 150 cases per 100,000 people.

North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem said last month that if Andahl won, the state GOP would appoint a replacement from the same party, according to the Grand Forks Herald.

The election of dead people is not without precedent. In the 2018 election, a Nevada brothel owner won an election to statewide office after he died. (NBC News)