David Andahl, 55, died on October 5, just months after he and fellow District 8 candidate Dave Nehring won the Republicans’ endorsements and voters’ nominations in the June primary.

Andahl succumbed to complications from the virus after battling the disease in hospital for four day, his mother Pat Andahl told the Bismarck Tribune.

By that time, early voting had begun up to two weeks before his death and Secretary of State Al Jaeger said it was too late to remove Andahl from the ballot.

Despite his passing, Andahl managed to win 35 per cent of the vote on Election Night securing one of the two seats and defeating Democrats Kathrin Volochenko and Linda Babb, according to the state’s latest results.