3rd party candidate for Minnesota's 2nd Congressional District dies, forcing Feb. special election
Adam Weeks, a candidate for Minnesota's Second Congressional District, has died, according to the Minnesota Secretary of State. (Weeks for Congress)
(FOX 9) - A candidate for Minnesota’s Second Congressional District seat from the Legal Marijuana Now Party has died, meaning the election will be postponed until February.
Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon released a statement Thursday saying Adam Weeks, who was nominated by the Legal Marijuana Now Party, has died. The Legal Marijuana Now Party confirmed the news in a statement Thursday afternoon, saying Weeks was actively campaigning this week before his passing.
“I want to offer condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Weeks,” Simon said in a release. “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.”
According to Minnesota law, if a major party nominee dies within 79 days of Election Day, a special election is to be held for that office on the second Tuesday in February. The Legal Marijuana Now Party just earned "major party" status last year after one of its candidates met the 5 percent of the vote threshold in a statewide election.
Democrat Rep. Angie Craig is the incumbent in the Second Congressional District. Her remaining challenger is Republican Tyler Kistner.
Craig does not retain the congressional seat until the special election, a spokeswoman for the Secretary of State confirmed. Instead, the seat will be vacant for more than a month, from the January start of the new term until the February special election.
The special election will be held Feb. 9, 2021.
Voters in the Second Congressional District should continue to vote this fall, Simon said. All votes on their ballots will still count, except for those cast for the Second Congressional District race.
The Legal Marijuana Now Party released the following statement Thursday:
It is with the deepest regrets and I am sad to inform all of you that US Congressional Minnesota District two candidate Adam Charles Weeks has passed away. As a representative of the Legal Marijuana Now Party, I have no further knowledge about the circumstances surrounding candidates Weeks’ passing.
I do want to say on behalf of all of us at the Legal Marijuana Now Party that in the time that we had Adam as part of the effort we knew a bright hardworking person who was passionate about his cause and trying to make a positive difference in the world. Adam was actively campaigning and preparing to represent his constituents to the US House of Representatives. Our sympathies go out to his close friends and family and we thank Adam in memoriam for his energy and his efforts. We have no further comment at this time but will post future news on our Facebook page LMN.Minnesota.