How does something like this happen?

[RCA]

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/califor ... beach.html

Has any one heard of this happening before?

[dusred]

WTF!?

There has to be a mistake somewhere. . . Or else the other guy was so bad he people would rather have a dead person than him.

[IBCoupe]

It happened to John Ashcroft in Missouri in 2000. He went on to serve in the White House under the second President Bush.

There's a line in The West Wing - the deputy of communications from the White House head out to CA to convince the local Democratic campaign to stop campaigning because their candidate died over the weekend and it's becoming a national joke that's harming other Democrats, they believe. He can't convince them, and we cut to a press conference where a reporter from notably far away has shown up to watch this minor race in CA (minor because they had little hope of winning when the candidate was alive), and confronts the chief of the campaign staff:

JUNE: Mr. Bailey, we're all sitting here pretending this is a regular press conference and you're very engaging up there, but your candidate died, so why isn't this all a little preposterous?

WILL: Chuck Webb is a seven-term Congressman who, as chairman of not one but two Commerce subcommittees, has taken money from companies he regulates. He's on the board of the NRA and once challenged another Congressman to a fist-fight on the floor over an amendment to make stalkers submit to background checks before buying AR-15s, AK-57s, Street-Sweepers, Mac-10s, Mac-11s. He's joined protests designed to frighten pregnant women.

JUNE: What's your point?

WILL: There are worse things in the world than no longer being alive.