A North Dakota Republican who died from COVID-19 last month won his bid for the state House of Representatives on Tuesday night.
Voters in Bismarck elected the late David Andahl, 55, and his running mate Dave Nehring last night, despite Andahl’s sudden death on Oct. 5.
After winning a contentious primary against longtime state Rep. Jeff Delzer, Andahl secured a strong victory in the general election with more than 35% of the total vote. Only Nehring, who he teamed up with to earn endorsements, won more votes securing around 40% of the votes. The district north of Bismarck has two House seats.
Two opposing Democratic candidates, Kathrin Volochenko and Linda Babb, won less than 12% and 10% of the vote, according to the Washington Post.
Last month, State Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem ruled that all votes for Andahl should be counted and that his victory would prompt a vacancy to be created in his seat. Stenehjem cited the need to count as “the American rule.”
Secretary of State Alvin Jaeger also said the general election ballot couldn’t be changed after Andahl’s death because mail-in voting began in September.
Upon a sitting legislator’s vacancy, their party can appoint someone to fill the remainder of the term, but voters may also petition for a special election after the legislative session, according to the Bismarck Tribune.
District 8 Republican Chairman Loren DeWitz said an appointment would “be open to anybody who would like to” seek it.
Andahl died after being hospitalized for about four days after contracting the virus. His mother, Pat Andahl, said her son was careful about the virus and was unsure how he contracted it.
“He had a lot of feelings for his county and his country and wanting to make things better, and his heart was in farming. He wanted things better for farmers and the coal industry,” Pat Andahl said. “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.”
North Dakota, which has a population of fewer than 800,000 people, has had over 47,000 coronavirus cases, and more than 560 deaths.
Andahl’s death came as the state faced record high daily rates of new cases, hospitalizations, and deaths in mid-October.
As of Oct. 16, the state’s health department said 388 North Dakotans died from COVID-19 since March, and they had been escalating at a rapid pace entering the fall season.
In October, North Dakota averaged more than seven coronavirus-related deaths per day, making it the deadliest month of the pandemic, according to the Grand Forks Herald.
