In a shocking turn of events, the Second Congressional District election now appears to be postponed until February 2021 after the sudden death of the Legal Marijuana Now Party candidate, Adam Weeks.
Weeks was running on a platform of criminal justice reform and said that the drug war “was a major cause of racial and economic” disparities, according to KSTP.
In Minnesota, the Legal Marijuana Now Party is now considered a “major party” because it earned more than five percent of the vote in at least one statewide race in 2018.
According to Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon, “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).”
The campaign of Republican congressional candidate Tyler Kistner immediately responded with condolences for Mr. Weeks’ family and friends and said that “Adam was a passionate advocate for the causes he believed in, and he will be missed by all those who knew him.” In another tweet, Kistner said that he had “directed [his] campaign to suspend all campaign advertising after the passing of Adam Weeks out of respect for his family and friends.”
Kistner may be smart to do this, because it now looks like both sides will have to turn out voters well after the presidential election, in a race that could have relatively reduced national implications. Incumbent Rep. Angie Craig, however, may be eyeing a legal challenge to the postponement of the election.
That’s because Craig would have to vacate the seat in Congress in January, and it will be left open for a month. Also, the president not being on the ballot could play well for Kistner in a suburban swing district. Craig is urging her supporters to vote for her in the November election, even though — as things currently stand — votes cast in November for Craig or Kistner won’t count.
Willis Krumholz
Willis L. Krumholz is a fellow at Defense Priorities. He holds a JD and MBA degree from the University of St. Thomas, and works in the financial services industry. The views expressed are those of the author only. You can follow Willis on Twitter @WillKrumholz.
