North Dakota GOP state lawmaker who died of COVID-19 wins election

Voters in North Dakota on Tuesday elected the late David Andahl (R) as a state representative in House District 8, according to state officials.

Andahl died from COVID-19 in October at the age of 55. His family said that the diagnosis was a surprise.

“He was very cautious especially because he did have a few health challenges, but he was unable to fend off this disease,” they wrote in a Facebook post.

Early voting had already begun in North Dakota at the time of Andahl’s death, keeping his name on the ballot for the race. He secured almost 35 percent of the vote in Tuesday’s election, North Dakota election officials reported.

“So many things he was very passionate about and was hoping that he could get into the Legislature and be of some help. He was looking forward to it. He was looking forward to being part of that,” Andhal’s mother, Pat Andahl, told the Bismarck Tribune.

State Republicans are set to select a replacement for Andahl through a committee appointment unless voters request a special election, according to USA Today.

Dave Nehring, another GOP candidate for District 8, was also elected on Tuesday, garnering more than 40 percent of the vote.

North Dakota has been reported as a leader in the fall surge of coronavirus cases in the United States. Nearly 8,440 residents of the state were diagnosed with the virus at the start of November.