# What happens if a political party nominee dies before the election? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 3, 2016, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-a-political-party-nominee-dies-before-the-election/761632 "2016-08-03T13:55:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Azeotrope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/0ea827/32.png) [@Azeotrope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Azeotrope)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2016, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-a-political-party-nominee-dies-before-the-election/761632/1 "2016-08-03T13:55:00Z")
No, I’m not plotting any assassinations. 😃 If a political party’s candidate dies or suffers some kind of trauma that rendered them unable to continue the campaign, would the nomination automatically go to the VP candidate or would the party have to start all over? Related question: what would happen if a newly elected president died between election and inauguration? ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2016, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-a-political-party-nominee-dies-before-the-election/761632/2 "2016-08-03T14:07:35Z")
In the case of Mel Carnahan, his name remained on the ballot and he won his Missouri seat in the US Senate posthumously. His widow, Jean Carnahan, was appointed in the same manner as if he had died after being elected. Mrs. Carnahan had announced before the election that she would accept the appointment, so voters knew they were electing her. Procedurally, the thing unfolded pretty much according the applicable laws of succession if he had died after being elected. For different offices, those procedures may differ. In the case of the US Presidency, it is already established that the president is succeeded by the vice president, so if a presidential candidate died and then won the election posthumously, the VP running mate would become the president. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2016, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-a-political-party-nominee-dies-before-the-election/761632/3 "2016-08-03T15:16:00Z")
State candidates are covered by state laws. Presidential candidates are covered by both state and federal laws. In the case of a president, you don’t vote for a person in the first place. You vote for electors. That’s a subtle but crucial difference. Yes, you see the candidate’s name on the ballot. That is locked down weeks or months before election day to give the state time to print ballots. Depending on when the candidate stops running, his or her name will probably be on the ballot with no way of removing it. With sufficient notice, a new name could be added. But if not then the election goes to the Electoral College, where the electors vote. Presumably the party would name the person they want to see as President, whether that is the Vice Presidential nominee or someone else. Presumably the electors would vote for that person. I say presumably since it have never happened and the laws are actually quite vague about what exactly must happen. The electors could revolt or vote their consciences or give up and go home, although I stress that is \*extremely \*unlikely in a real world. If the President dies after the Electoral College, then the Vice President would become President at inauguration and select a new Vice President. ---
**Author:** ![Orwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/dfb087/32.png) [@Orwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orwell)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2016, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-a-political-party-nominee-dies-before-the-election/761632/4 "2016-08-03T15:36:14Z")
> [@](#): > > **What happens if a political party nominee dies before the election?** In the US, in 2016, in the presidential race, there would be widespread jubilation and celebration. Both major party candidates. If there were any validity to “mind power” nonsense, I’d say we should all start wishing with great fervor. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2016, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-a-political-party-nominee-dies-before-the-election/761632/5 "2016-08-03T16:23:57Z")
**Moderator Note** > [@Orwell](#): > > In the US, in 2016, in the presidential race, there would be widespread jubilation and celebration. > > Both major party candidates. If there were any validity to “mind power” nonsense, I’d say we should all start wishing with great fervor. Let’s keep the political pot-shots out of GQ, please. ---
**Author:** ![TSBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@TSBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TSBG)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2016, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-a-political-party-nominee-dies-before-the-election/761632/6 "2016-08-03T18:41:19Z")
A Republican elector in Georgia said that he wouldn’t vote for Donald Trump in the electoral college. I mention this as a data point that electors don’t (always?) have to vote for the candidate they’re theoretically pledged to. The last “faithless elector” was a Texas Democrat who voted for Lloyd Bentsen instead of Michael Dukakis in 1988. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2016, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-a-political-party-nominee-dies-before-the-election/761632/7 "2016-08-03T18:50:07Z")
Apparently the GOP is considering a related question right now: [What happens if Trump drops out?](https://www.yahoo.com/gma/senior-gop-officials-exploring-options-trump-drops-133358796--abc-news-topstories.html) ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2016, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-a-political-party-nominee-dies-before-the-election/761632/8 "2016-08-03T20:14:26Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > In the case of Mel Carnahan, his name remained on the ballot and he won his Missouri seat in the US Senate posthumously. His widow, Jean Carnahan, was appointed in the same manner as if he had died after being elected. Mrs. Carnahan had announced before the election that she would accept the appointment, so voters knew they were electing her. > > Procedurally, the thing unfolded pretty much according the applicable laws of succession if he had died after being elected. For different offices, those procedures may differ. In the case of the US Presidency, it is already established that the president is succeeded by the vice president, so if a presidential candidate died and then won the election posthumously, the VP running mate would become the president. The dead guy won against John Ashcroft. (1998 - Ashcroft’s best years were obviously ahead of him…) The Wikipedia article mentions this in the only case of a dead person being elected to the senate, but that on 3 occasions a dead person was elected to the House. So yes, if it’s too late for a substitute (as determined by the state laws) then the name says on the ballot. The Wikipedia article also mentioned that when Carnahan died, Ashcroft respectfully stopped campaigning. (two weeks before the election) When the lieutenant governor (and so, governor Carnahan’s replacement) said that Carnahan’s widow would serve if his name won, Ashcroft resumed campaigning. In this case, it was about 2 weeks before the election, so far too short a time for some sort of party get-together to find and nominate a replacement and have the ballots ready. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2016, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-a-political-party-nominee-dies-before-the-election/761632/9 "2016-08-03T20:30:34Z")
> [@](#): > > RULE NO. 9 > Filling Vacancies in Nominations > (a) The Republican National Committee is hereby authorized and empowered to fill any and all vacancies which may occur by reason of death, declination, or otherwise of the Republican candidate for President of the United States or the Republican candidate for Vice President of the United States, as nominated by the national convention, or the Republican National Committee may reconvene the national convention for the purpose of filling any such vacancies. > (b) In voting under this rule, the Republican National Committee members representing any state shall be entitled to cast the same number of votes as said state was entitled to cast at the national convention. (c) In the event that the members of the Republican National Committee from any state shall not be in agreement in the casting of votes hereunder, the votes of such state shall be divided equally, including fractional votes, among the members of the Republican National Committee present or voting by proxy. > (d) No candidate shall be chosen to fill any such vacancy except upon receiving a majority of the votes entitled to be cast in the election. Rules of the Republican Party - [https://s3.amazonaws.com/prod-static-ngop-pbl/docs/Rules\_of\_the\_Republican+Party\_FINAL\_S14090314.pdf](https://s3.amazonaws.com/prod-static-ngop-pbl/docs/Rules_of_the_Republican+Party_FINAL_S14090314.pdf) (PDF Warning) Based on the use of the word “otherwise,” above, Trump could be fired by the RNC, too. 🙂 There are state deadlines when it comes to removing/replacing names on the individual state ballots. Some deadlines have passed, meaning Trump will be on that state’s ballot regardless of whether Trump remains the nominee. What remains to be seen is whether electors are bound to a nominee by name, or the party’s selection of nominee. ---
**Author:** ![Carryon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc29f/32.png) [@Carryon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carryon)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2016, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-a-political-party-nominee-dies-before-the-election/761632/10 "2016-08-03T21:12:44Z")
The Rules of any political party can be challenged in court and any attempt to replace a candidate elected fairly would be thrown out. Some states have laws requiring electors to vote for the party candidate, others do not. Again, these are untested, only when the situation arises would you see the Supreme Court make a definitive decision. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2016, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-a-political-party-nominee-dies-before-the-election/761632/11 "2016-08-03T21:21:52Z")
> [@Carryon](#): > > The Rules of any political party can be challenged in court and any attempt to replace a candidate elected fairly would be thrown out. A political party is a private organization. The rules of the private organization can be challenged in court. Assuming an attempt to change a candidate would lose as a forgone conclusion is a bit of a stretch. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2020, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-a-political-party-nominee-dies-before-the-election/761632/12 "2020-11-05T03:49:45Z")
Bumped. See the last paragraph especially. > **[A North Dakota state legislature candidate who died from Covid-19 appears to...](https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/04/politics/north-dakota-candidate-died-covid-wins-election-trnd/index.html)** > > David Andahl, a businessman and rancher, died on October 5 after a battle with Covid-19. About a month later, he appeared to have been elected to North Dakota's state House. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2020, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-a-political-party-nominee-dies-before-the-election/761632/13 "2020-11-11T02:18:32Z")
What? How do you figure? In 2000, D.C. elector Barbara Lett-Simmons abstained in protest of DC’s lack of a House seat. A Michigan elector defected, perhaps by mistake, in 2004, and a whole bunch of Democrats voted for Colin Powell in 2016 as a last-ditch attempt to stop Trump. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2020, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-a-political-party-nominee-dies-before-the-election/761632/14 "2020-11-11T02:31:22Z")
In 1872, Liberal Republican/Democratic nominee Horace Greeley (“Go west, Young man!”) died after the popular vote and before the meeting of the Electoral College. It didn’t make a difference because the Republican incumbent Ulysses Grant was the clear winner. Greeley’s electors were released to vote for whomever they wanted that wasn’t dead. A few tried to vote for Greeley anyway but their votes were discarded. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2020, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-a-political-party-nominee-dies-before-the-election/761632/15 "2020-11-11T02:39:12Z")
\*The Democrats didn’t nominate their own candidate that year, just signing on to the Liberal Republicans’ nominee.