First, to Minnesota Dopers and all who were touched by him, my condolences to you on the death of Paul Wellstone.
With his death coming 10 days prior to Election Day, what happens?
The governor of Minnesota has the ability to immediately appoint someone to the vacant office, to hold the position until January 2003, although it is unlikely that he will do that.
Senator Wellstone’s name will remain on the ballot (too late to change them, they’ve already been printed). If Senator Wellstone is post-humously reelected, the governor of Minnesota has the ability to appoint someone else to the vacant office, whose term will begin in January.
His name should remain on the ballot a la Mel Carnahan. However when Carnahan, two weeks after his death, defeated Ashcroft, Carnahan’s wife took the seat. Wellstone’s wife also died in crash, so it’s questionable who will take the seat if he wins.
And it’ll be interesting to see how fast the ads of his opponent, Norm Coleman, are pulled (they were actually pretty lighthearted). Here in Minnesota I heard a Coleman ad (“You’ve got Wellstones”) at 12:30, right after the news about a plane crash in Eveleth without any names attached. It’s a sad day for Minnesota, regardless of politics.
Correction to my previous post. CNN’s story says, “Under Minnesota law, if a nominee in a Senate race dies during a campaign, his or her political party can select a replacement candidate no later than four days before the general election. Election Day this year is November 5.”
According to cnn.com
“Under Minnesota law, if a nominee in a Senate race dies during a campaign, his or her political party can select a replacement candidate no later than four days before the general election. Election Day this year is November 5.”
That would be different from what happened in Missouri two years ago. under our state law, the time limit had already passed to name a replacement.
I don’t know whether it’s too late to reprint the ballots, but assuming the DFL Party names a candidate within the next week, that person would be legally eligible to be elected Senator.
Could Jesse Ventura appoint himself? He would be just wacky enough to try!
I imagine Ventura will wait until after the election, and then appoint the winner to serve out the last two months of Wellstone’s term. Since Congress is going to meet in a lame-duck session after the election, it would be foolish to allow the seat to remain vacant.
This creates the possibility that Republicans, by winning in Minnesota and/or Missouri but losing elsewhere, will control the Senate for two months between November and January but not after January. They could take advantage of the interval to gain control of the Judiciary Committee and report out a lot of Bush’s judicial nominees.
This is all just so horrible. My heart goes out to the Wellstone brothers, facing three piercing sorrows at once.
And so I feel callous is even thinking politically, but a question for Minnesota Dopers: if the state party chooses to replace his name on the ballot, what federal or state reps, prominent mayors and academics, et cetera, might be considered?
If they win enough seats to retain control when the new members are sworn-in come January, the Democrats in the Senate would probably fillibuster for two months any attempt by the Republicans to take advantage of a temporary lead. And the Republicans won’t have the 60 votes needed to break a fillibuster.
Ventura just announced at his news conference that he would not appoint himself.
Note: Former governor Wendell Anderson appointed himself to the senate to fill a similar vacancy.
He could, legally. But he just got done with a short press conference in which he stated unequivably that he would NOT appoint himself to the position.
Sorry about that… hit post by accident.
Anderson was appointed to fill the seat vacated by the death of Hubert Humphery. Anderson was governor at the time, so he resigned. Then after Lt. Governor Rudy Perpich took over, he appointed Anderson to the senate. Anderson got his butt kicked in the following election.
Well, one of the political analysists on Kare11 news (ya, it IS a dumb name and altogether not very news worthy TV) but he said that there’s really only one name that could fill Wellstone’s shoes at such a late hour. That person would be Walter Mondale.
I couldn’t be more bummed right now. Wellstone just had that certain kind of magic and integrity that gave me faith in the system. The kind of person where I could tell where he stands. I met him once while he was doing the first Minnesota tour in the ol’ green bus and saw the bus outside my work just a couple of weeks ago but didn’t have time to stop.
I reckon this whole tragedy will ripple out into waves over the next couple weeks and months. I keep listening to the song “The Last Great American” by Five for Fighting hoping that the country won’t turn into the predictions in the song…
josh
I believe this is correct: Under the 17th Amendment a Senator can only be appointed until there is an election. So, an elected Senator has precedence over an appointed one.
http://usgovinfo.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.senate.gov/
In the case of Carnahan because she is appointed, my understanding is that her elected successor would be seated immediately, so if she loses there is going to be a 50-50 split in the lame duck session.
The same is true of whomever Jesse appoints, he can do it before the election but the elected Senator will take the seat immediately after the people vote.
I am almost sure of that , but what if Jesse doesn’t appoint?
It doesn’t say anything about a continued vacancy only that a Sen. can be appointed until the people vote, so would the elcted Sen. necessarily take the seat immediately?
Jimmmy, the situation in Missouri is different. There, the election is for the unexpired term of the late Mel Carnahan, which started Jan 3, 2001 and ends Jan 3,2007. That is why whoever wins can be seated immediately. The election in Minnesota is for the term that begins Jan 3, 2003. Thus, there will still be a vacancy from now until then. Therefore, Gov. Ventura is free to appoint a replacement anytime from now until then. This replacement will serve the remainder of Sen. Wellstone’s term, which ends Jan 2, 2003.
What happens to the absentee ballots already cast?
A coworker sent his in yesterday, ironically, for Wellstone.
I suppose that they will be counted, but if another candidate is chosen, is that absentee vote, wasted?
I felt callous for having pleasenotSkippypleasenotSkippypleasenotSkippypleasenotSkippy* run through my head this afternoon.
Mondale came to mind, but AFAIK he’s mostly retired. Mike Ciresi’s name has been floated, as has David Minge’s. Roger Moe came to my mind, as well. The problem is none of them would have a shot at beating Coleman - the race was tight enough the way it is…er. Was. 
*Skippy = Hubert H. Humphrey IV. Aka Skip. Most definitely not his father.
A name that is gaining momentum now is Minnesota supreme court justice and former Viking Alan Page. He is well-liked and respected in Minnesota, and his legal credentials give him a gravitas beyond that of a typical celebrity ex-jock. I think he would be a strong choice, but it is all rather speculative at this point.
If Wellstone is left on the ballot, I will still vote for him. I think a lot of other Minnesotans would to.
I mean, I would TOO, not I would TO.