Jenny Oropeza, A democrat who had served 22 years as an elected public servant, including six in the California Assembly and four more in the state Senate, defeated her Republican rival, John Stammreich, in the midterms.
However, she had passed away from a blood clot complications aged 53 in October, making it too late to amend the ballot papers.
So what happens next, how do you handle having a dead person in charge aside from the fact they might still be preferred to the opposition?