Covid mortality rate among 79+yos and the Dem Candidates

[Loren Pechtel]

I had a similar question and it’s a serious one:

What if whichever candidate is elected dies before inauguration?

Given the age of the field and the media being bound and determined that the only candidates for the Presidential election will be elderly white men with known (or obvious) serious physical and in Trump’s case, cognitive/mental health issues, this does not sound like too unlikely a possibility.

His/her running mate would be sworn in. But things would get really interesting if both of them die before the Inauguration.

President Pelosi, anyone?

Probably the best of the lot.

If this comes about is it a message from God against the GOP?

 

[southernhybrid]

I looked it up to be sure. If the president elect dies before January 20th, the VP elect will be inaugurated. It's in the 20th Amendment to the Constitution.

 

[Rhea]

But what if it happens right before the convention. Or right after?

So interesting. The odds are low - but, and hear me out here - they are higher than they have ever been.

 

[Derec]

But what if it happens right before the convention.

The dead/incapacitated candidate's delegates are released and they can vote for somebody else.

Or right after?

Before the ballot deadline I would say it's up to the party to nominate somebody else. Probably via some kind of emergency convention, maybe virtual, with the same delegates as in the regular convention electing a new nominee.

Bigger question would be what would happen if the ballot deadline has passed and the dead/incapacitated candidate remains on the ballot. That happens sometimes for Congressional elections, but of course, the stakes are much higher for presidential elections.

 

[southernhybrid]

Well, it's too bad that the candidates aren't females because we have better immune systems than males do. In fact, even among older men and women who have contracted the new virus, women are doing better according to lots of news articles that I've read in recent days.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110927192352.htm

As anyone familiar with the phrase "man-flu" will know women consider themselves to be the more robust side of the species when it comes to health and illness. Now new research seems to support the idea. The research focuses on the role of MicroRNAs encoded on the X chromosome to explain why women have stronger immune systems to men and are less likely to develop cancer.

Too late now. We all should have supported the women in the race before all of them dropped out. Tsk. Tsk. I sure hope the nominee, chooses a much younger female as his running mate.

 

[Keith&Co.]

Well, it's too bad that the candidates aren't females because we have better immune systems than males do.

Ooooh. There's an idea. Trial by combat exposure.

So, instead of three years of political ads, maybe we could just seal off a hotel somewhere, anyone that wants to be a candidate sits in there for two months, survivors move on to another winnowing event.
Spend time in quarantine answering tests about what countries border the US, how far inland do hurricanes travel, control of which airfield was the biggest battle of the revolutionary war...

 

[Derec]

Too late now. We all should have supported the women in the race before all of them dropped out.

Well you still have Tulsi.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Well, it's too bad that the candidates aren't females because we have better immune systems than males do. In fact, even among older men and women who have contracted the new virus, women are doing better according to lots of news articles that I've read in recent days.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110927192352.htm

As anyone familiar with the phrase "man-flu" will know women consider themselves to be the more robust side of the species when it comes to health and illness. Now new research seems to support the idea. The research focuses on the role of MicroRNAs encoded on the X chromosome to explain why women have stronger immune systems to men and are less likely to develop cancer.

Too late now. We all should have supported the women in the race before all of them dropped out. Tsk. Tsk. I sure hope the nominee, chooses a much younger female as his running mate.

Note, however, that most of the deaths are in China. In China most men smoke. This is a lung ailment, smokers will fare worse than non-smokers. I don't know if there really is a gender difference in the threat it poses.

 

[Bronzeage]

So what happens if everyone drops out but the 75+yos and they get sick and succumb to covid?

Just curious procedurally.

The most likely political effect of the covdid 19 scenario and 75 yos is the loss of a substantial segment of Trump's demographic.