A North Dakotan died of Covid-19 and was elected posthumously to the state legislature.

Known as “Dakota Dave,” David Dean Andahl was a strolling, speaking billboard for his house state of North Dakota.

He was president of Dakota Sports Marketing, the place he promoted the state’s financial and tourism alternatives.

In late September, he grew to become in poor health and was hospitalized in Bismarck. Shortly afterward, he died, following “a short battle with Covid-19,” his household mentioned. He was 55.

Mr. Andahl was additionally excited by politics.

This yr, he determined to run for the state House of Representatives. He cleared the first hurdle, profitable a heated Republican main in June in opposition to a longtime incumbent, State Representative Jeff Delzer, chairman of the highly effective appropriations committee.

Mr. Andahl gained the endorsement of two of the state’s most influential Republicans, Gov. Doug Burgum and Senator Kevin Cramer, with Mr. Cramer telling The Minneapolis Star Tribune that he backed Mr. Andahl “because we need more Trump Republicans in the state legislature.”

But at the similar time, the coronavirus was surging throughout the nation, particularly in North Dakota. The state now has critically understaffed hospitals, and its charges of new instances and deaths per individual are amongst the highest in the nation. Mr. Andahl, who already had unspecified well being points, was cautious about the virus, his family wrote on Facebook.

On Oct. 5, when he died, the election was a month away. At that time, it was too late to take his title off the poll. On Nov. 3, the residents of District 8, a sprawling rural space north of Bismarck, elected him posthumously to the legislature.

A political squabble ensued over how to fill the seat. The governor sought to make an appointment however was blocked by the legal professional common. The matter was unresolved and is in court docket.