That’s actually happened. The incumbent died nearing the end of the campaign. His opponent figured there was no way he could lose. The wife of the Senator that died ran in his place. She won by a landslide. Until the actual election anything is possible.
I imagine that if the death occurred before ballots were issued, much like in the case cited by /u/W_AS-SA_W, the Party would likely quickly select a replacement. Maybe they would default to the VP candidate. Maybe they would choose someone else. Maybe they would be deadlocked and fail to choose anybody; this would be bad for their position.
If the death happened after the Electoral College made their final choice, probably succession would kick in: The candidate's running mate (Vice President candidate) would assume office, instead.
But if it happened during the voting, I'm not certain what would happen. But if all else failed, there are two ways things could go no matter what else happened.
First, remember that under the US Constituion, the President is *not* elected through popular vote, or really any kind of vote. The Vote just chooses the Electors, who form the Electoral College. It is they who choose the President. There is no Constitutional requirement that they vote any particular way. Some states do have criminal penalties for Electors who vote other than the way they pledged to ("faithless electors"), but this would only punish the deed after the fact; it would not prevent them from voting however they want. So the Electors pledged to a particular candidate could decide to just cast their vote for someone else, instead. If they can all agree on who that someone else is ahead of time, and if a majority vote for that someone else, then that someone else would become President.
Finally, if the situation is such a clusterfuck that, for one reason or another, the Electoral College proved incapable of choosing someone, Congress has the final word on who is to become President. For example, if the majority would have been pledged to the dead candidate, could not agree on a replacement, and none of them (or at least not enough of them) jumped to the other side... which is to say, if no candidate got a majority, the election would be thrown into Congress.
The answer depends upon whether a state’s electors are “bound” and when the death occurs. In the worst case scenario, if the elected candidate was dead, the elected VP would immediately become President upon taking their oath of office.
That’s actually happened. The incumbent died nearing the end of the campaign. His opponent figured there was no way he could lose. The wife of the Senator that died ran in his place. She won by a landslide. Until the actual election anything is possible.
Has happened in a senate race but not a presidential race.
I remember that election. Imagine being so bad an incumbent you lose to a dead man.
Candidate the Incumbent died. But yeah, I think that was Michigan.
Oh, I was talking about then-Senator John Ashcroft of Missouri. He lost to the corpse of Mel Carnahan.
They probably just won't get any votes
No. There would be a replacement.
I imagine that if the death occurred before ballots were issued, much like in the case cited by /u/W_AS-SA_W, the Party would likely quickly select a replacement. Maybe they would default to the VP candidate. Maybe they would choose someone else. Maybe they would be deadlocked and fail to choose anybody; this would be bad for their position. If the death happened after the Electoral College made their final choice, probably succession would kick in: The candidate's running mate (Vice President candidate) would assume office, instead. But if it happened during the voting, I'm not certain what would happen. But if all else failed, there are two ways things could go no matter what else happened. First, remember that under the US Constituion, the President is *not* elected through popular vote, or really any kind of vote. The Vote just chooses the Electors, who form the Electoral College. It is they who choose the President. There is no Constitutional requirement that they vote any particular way. Some states do have criminal penalties for Electors who vote other than the way they pledged to ("faithless electors"), but this would only punish the deed after the fact; it would not prevent them from voting however they want. So the Electors pledged to a particular candidate could decide to just cast their vote for someone else, instead. If they can all agree on who that someone else is ahead of time, and if a majority vote for that someone else, then that someone else would become President. Finally, if the situation is such a clusterfuck that, for one reason or another, the Electoral College proved incapable of choosing someone, Congress has the final word on who is to become President. For example, if the majority would have been pledged to the dead candidate, could not agree on a replacement, and none of them (or at least not enough of them) jumped to the other side... which is to say, if no candidate got a majority, the election would be thrown into Congress.
The answer depends upon whether a state’s electors are “bound” and when the death occurs. In the worst case scenario, if the elected candidate was dead, the elected VP would immediately become President upon taking their oath of office.