Dead Missouri Governor Elected to Senate
NewsMax.com
Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2000
Missouri Democrat Gov. Mel Carnahan, who died three weeks ago in a plane crash, was elected to the U.S. Senate on Tuesday.
Despite his death, he defeated GOP Sen. John Ashcroft and Carnahan's widow, Jean, says she will accept the job from the new Democrat governor.
"We remain heirs of a legacy, heirs of a dream,'' Mrs. Carnahan, 66, told supporters. "On this night, I pledge to you, rather, let's pledge to each other, never let the fire go out.''
No one had ever posthumously won election to the Senate, though voters on at least three occasions sent deceased candidates to the House, the Associated Press reported.
Some Republicans have said they might challenge the Carnahan victory because the late governor was no longer a state resident.
