ABSTRACT
On November 7, 2000, voters in the state of Missouri elected Governor Melvin Carnahan to the U.S. Senate. Ordinarily, the act of electing a senator is not a newsworthy event; what made Carnahan’s victory extraordinary was that voters had cast their ballots knowing that he had died in a plane crash three weeks prior to the election. It is important to note that Carnahan’s posthumous victory did not simply reflect voters’ sustained admiration of him. Indeed, opinion polls taken just prior to his death showed that he trailed his opponent by several percentage points. Only after his death did polls show Carnahan gaining on, and ultimately surpassing, his opponent. How is it that Carnahan’s popularity could climb so dramatically after his demise?
