WI: Assassination?

What if Mr. Obama wins the Democratic primary, and in campaigning for president he is assassinated by a white supremist? What will the effects be? Will Bush cancel or move elections? Will the Democrats hastily elect another canidate? No one has been assassinated aftr the convention before, just wondering what you guys thought would be the effects of such an act.
 
Barack Obama becomes deified as the JFK of the 21st century. Some other Democratic candidate gets elected based on his memory.
 
What if Mr. Obama wins the Democratic primary, and in campaigning for president he is assassinated by a white supremist? What will the effects be? Will Bush cancel or move elections? Will the Democrats hastily elect another canidate? No one has been assassinated aftr the convention before, just wondering what you guys thought would be the effects of such an act.

I agree with the previous poster, but I just wanted to point out that Bush in no way, shape, or form could cancel elections. IIRC that's way beyond his executive power and, besides, I think he would be forever vilified for it if he ended up doing so.
 
I agree with the previous poster, but I just wanted to point out that Bush in no way, shape, or form could cancel elections. IIRC that's way beyond his executive power and, besides, I think he would be forever vilified for it if he ended up doing so.

Some of the things he has done have gotten him villified in other's eyes. What if Obama was killed within a week of the election, or even election day? Surely the elections would have to be pushed back then...
 
No, what would technically happen is whomever Obama's VP candidate is would become the electee if the Democrats won.
 
The President cannot delay the election if a candidate dies. If Obama or McCain dies B4 election day or even on it, the election will go on. The new presidential candidate, if elected, would (I think) have to wait until after the inaguration to officially appoint a new VP. I imagine that the dead candidate's running mate wins big (sympathy vote) unless he/she is a Quayle or Ferraro zero.
 
Congress could change the date of elections, I beleive, but it's questionable whether they could do so in the midst of a campaign. Along the same lines as Bush v. Gore, they might not be able to change the rules in the middle of an election because of the vesting of a right to vote, etc.

Also, the rules of the DNC (and RNC) for that matter say that the National Cmte can either recall the convention or chose itself a new candidate in the event of a death. However, I'm not sure how this rule stacks up against state law concerning whose name appears on the ballot. The Dems could do so anyway, because which ever electors were chosen could vote for the new nominee/candidate.

Personally, I think the more chaotic eventuality is if Obama manages before the convention to amass a definite majority of delegates (probably unlikely as of now) and then is assassinated. Same goes, by the way, for John McCain being shot just before the RNC.
 
I would hazard to guess that this website is now being watched by the FBI and Secret Service. Probably not the first time.

If an presidential hopeful dies or is killed following a National Convention then there is a vice-presidential hopeful, the running mate decided upon at the convention that becomes the candidate designate. The respective national committee probably finds a new vice-presidential candidate to run for office.

If something happens to Obama, it may be possible that they may submit his widow. Its happened before in politics, not the yardstick to judge a potential head of state by.
 
The below comes from the RNC's Rules of Order and the DNC's Charter respectively. Both detail or describe the method of replacement of a deceased nominee: in both, the National Committee has authority to replace the candidate. There is no succession to the nomination before the date of the general election.

RNC Rules said:
RULE NO. 9
Filling Vacancies in Nominations
(a) The Republican National Committee is hereby authorized and empowered to fill any and all vacancies which may occur by reason of death, declination, or otherwise of the Republican candidate for President of the United States or the Republican candidate for Vice President of the United States, as nominated by the national convention, or the Republican National Committee may reconvene the national convention for the purpose of filling any such vacancies.
(b) In voting under this rule, the Republican National Committee members representing any state shall be entitled to cast the same number of votes as said state was entitled to cast at the national convention.
(c) In the event that the members of the Republican National Committee from any state shall not be in agreement in the casting of votes hereunder, the votes of such state shall be divided equally, including fractional votes among the members of the Republican National Committee present or voting by proxy.
(d) No candidate shall be chosen to fill any such vacancy except upon receiving a majority of the votes entitled to be cast in the election.

DNC Charter said:
Section 1. The Democratic National Committee shall have general responsibility for the affairs of the Democratic Party between National Conventions, subject to the provisions of this Charter and to the resolutions or other actions of the National Convention. This responsibility shall include:
  • issuing the Call to the National Convention;
  • conducting the Party’s Presidential campaign;
  • filling vacancies in the nominations for the office of President and Vice-President;...
 
The below comes from the RNC's Rules of Order and the DNC's Charter respectively.

Thankyou very much, I was just curious what would happen and what you think woud happen. God help us if this terrible thing were to ever happen to anyone, but I was just wondering what you guys thought about it. Your info was helpful, and everyone's ideas were intriguing...
 
The below comes from the RNC's Rules of Order and the DNC's Charter respectively. Both detail or describe the method of replacement of a deceased nominee: in both, the National Committee has authority to replace the candidate. There is no succession to the nomination before the date of the general election.

Minor correction: These only apply if the nominee (NOT president-elect) dies before the election.

If, on the other hand, Obama had won the election but then died, the 20th Amendment makes it so that the vice-president elect would become the new president-elect.
 
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