Death Of Third-Party Candidate Upends Minnesota Congressional Race, Triggers Special Election | Eastern North Carolina Now

Publisher's Note: This post appears here courtesy of the The Daily Wire. The author of this post is Eric Quintanar.

    A congressional race in Minnesota has been upended following the death of Legal Marijuana Now Party candidate Adam Charles Weeks, 38, who was in a three-way race against a Republican challenger and the Democratic incumbent for the seat. His death will now trigger a special election.

    Under Minnesota law, the death of a major party candidate results in an election being delayed. Because the Legal Marijuana Now Party received over 5% of the vote in a 2018 state auditor race, Weeks was considered a major party candidate, reports Politico.

    "I want to offer condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Weeks. The loss of any of us is a tragedy, and that's felt especially in someone who has put his energy into a campaign to serve in public office," said Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon in a statement Thursday. "The law is clear on what happens next. If a major party nominee dies within 79 days of Election Day; a special election will be held for that office on the second Tuesday of February (February 9, 2021)."

    Congresswoman Angie Craig (D-MN), the incumbent for the second congressional district and a freshman Democrat, said she was "deeply saddened to hear the tragic news of Adam Weeks' passing" and was praying for his family.

    "I am saddened to hear that Adam Weeks has passed away," said Republican congressional candidate Tyler Kistner in a statement. "Adam was a passionate advocate for the causes he believed in, and he will he missed by all those who knew him. We will be praying for Adam and his family and friends as they go through this difficult time."

    With the congressional election postponed until after the 117th Congress convenes on Jan. 3, Craig will be forced to vacate the seat and leave no one in its place. The seat will only be filled after the special election in February, thus temporarily leaving Minnesota without a second district congressperson for the start of the new session.

    The secretary of state's office said that ballots for the November election will remain the same, but the results for the second congressional district race will not be tallied due to the postponement.

    According to Politico, then-candidate Donald Trump won the district during the 2016 presidential election, along with Rep. Jason Lewis (R-MN), who served one term before he was ousted by six points in the 2018 midterm elections by his former opponent.

    The Legal Marijuana Now Party does not currently have a candidate to replace Weeks on the ballot for the congressional election, but the Star Tribune reports that the party must find one by Nov. 10, exactly one week after the presidential election.

    But with the race now untethered from the general election, turnout will be uncertain.

    According to WCCO, Dakota County, Minnesota, which is home to a significant portion of the congressional district's voters, receives about 80% turnout during general elections, and at most, 30% turnout during special election races.