Congressional candidate Keith Crisco dies suddenly at home

[SoCalNative]

Source: Asheboro, North Carolina Courier-Tribune

ASHEBORO — Asheboro businessman and congressional candidate, Keith Crisco, died suddenly at his home today.

Information is incomplete; however, early information indicates he suffered injuries from a fall around 1 p.m. at his home at 1263 Thayer Drive in Asheboro. He was reported dead at the scene when emergency workers arrived there.

Crisco had a long history of involvement in Asheboro’s business and local government scene. He was a co-founder of Asheboro Elastics Corp. and received much recognition for the success of his narrow-elastics business in a struggling textile industry. He served on the Asheboro City Council from 2003-2009.


Read more: http://courier-tribune.com/news/congressional-candidate-keith-crisco-dies-suddenly-home

---

So, does Clay Aiken win now?

[Hissyspit]

1. Holy shit.

Here come the right-wing conspiracy theories now.
I'm sure American Idil contestant Clay Aiken pushed him off a ladder at the man's own home to win just a PRIMARY that Aiken was already winning.

[Enrique]

2. he knew too much

about Benghazi

[indivisibleman]

5. lol

Definitely something suspicious here.

[cstanleytech]

6. Ya know it honestly wouldnt surprise me if fox n friends ran with such a story either lol

[jtuck004]

22. I sure wish that theory sounded further out there than it does today <G> n/t

[Xipe Totec]

3. I'm a frayed knot.

ahem! cough! cough! sorry!

You don't have to be living-breathing to win an election although you have to be living-breathing to vote, which I think is very unfair.

http://nation.time.com/2013/11/07/two-dead-candidates-get-majority-of-votes-in-washington-state/

Dead candidates tend to garner a lot of sympathy votes. I think voters believe that dead candidates cannot possibly disappoint them by doing something stupid.

And, to be honest, it's hard to tell the difference between dead and living congressmen when looking at their respective legislative records.

[MADem]

13. The dead guy won't be on the general election ballot. This was a PRIMARY. Both Aiken and the dead

guy were vying for the DEMOCRATIC nomination.

Aiken will be the Dem nominee, and he has to beat the Republican. That will be a trick in that neck of the woods. Aiken could probably use a donation or two and some serious GOTV help.

[Xipe Totec]

20. Joshua Lawson, spokesman for the state Board of Elections, said...

Joshua Lawson, spokesman for the state Board of Elections, said that the vote certification process in North Carolina does not change because of Crisco’s death since it is prescribed by statute. The vote certification process will continue as scheduled on Tuesday and if the absentee ballots or voting errors put Crisco ahead of Aiken then the district executive committee of the Democratic Party would choose the nominee.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/clay-aikens-opponent-keith-crisco-passes/story?id=23686583

What happens in the general election is another matter altogether. The question was about this primary election.

[MADem]

23. If they choose anyone other than the guy who is ALIVE, and that's IF Aiken loses his

nearly 400 vote advantage, then the executive committee would be perceived as homophobic, at best.

[Xipe Totec]

25. True but tangential to the question

Which was:

Does the opponent's death mean that Clay wins automatically?

To which my answer was and still is:

No, death does not disqualify the opponent.

What it would mean or would not mean if the executive committee chose somebody else is another question which was not asked, and which I don't care to explore.

[MADem]

26. "Automatically" wasn't even in the question.

The question was So, does Clay Aiken win now?

Thing is, he hasn't LOST (yet), regardless of the viability of his opponent. In fact, he's AHEAD. By several hundred votes (and the margin is increasing, too).

The votes were supposed to be certified tomorrow, so there's that, as well.

FURTHER, Crisco had planned to concede to Aiken:

WRAL reported that Crisco was fatally injured when he tripped and hit his head on a walkway. They also reported that Crisco had told a Democratic strategist that he planned to concede to Aiken on Tuesday.

MOREOVER, Aiken's vote totals exceeded the minimum thresholds:

Aiken grabbed 41 percent of the votes, to textile entrepreneur Crisco's 40 percent.

A slim 432 votes separated the outcome, but that’s still above the 1 percent margin that requires a mandatory recount.

Aiken's vote total was also above 40 percent, which is the mark candidates must cross to avoid a runoff in North Carolina.

http://www.wyff4.com/news/nbc-news-clay-aikens-opponent-dies/25939670

[LeftishBrit]

33. Didn't John Ashcraft lose his seat to someone who was dead? so it's possible in some places

[FSogol]

4. Clay should pull a "John Warner"

Marry the widow and offer to run in lieu of the dead candidate, of course.

[Swede Atlanta]

7. You do know Clay Aiken is an out homosexual right?

This is indeed a difficult development.

Yes there will be a certain amount of sympathy/empathy for him. We should all acknowledge when someone dies even if it is a person with whom we disagreed on many points and who in our view was not worthy of our vote. That will affect the race. I'm not sure what will happen now in N.C. with the race. Has the deadline for other candidates to enter the race passed? Is this now up to the state GOP to nominate someone else?

Aiken needs to be respectful of the family in the coming days, probably tone down his campaign. I know that a GOP candidate would not do the same but we should demonstrate better morals and respect.

He should focus exclusively on the issues and be observant and respectful of his deceased opponent.

[MADem]

10. The dead guy was a Democrat, and Aiken is a Democrat--they were duking it out for the PRIMARY nom.

The votes were being counted.

Aiken was ahead but only just.

The "party elders" preferred the old, not gay guy. Who, condolences to his loved ones, has died.

Aiken still has to beat the GOP candidate. It will be an uphill battle.

[FSogol]

27. Honestly, do you think I was being serious?

[7962]

8. Or a John Kerry

[karynnj]

31. HUH? Kerry was already a two term MA Senator

When he married the woman whose PA Senator husband died 4 years earlier.

[MADem]

11. Why? He was leading by almost four hundred votes. This was a PRIMARY vote.

Both candidates were Dems.

[MADem]

9. It looked like he won "already" (Aiken, that is). It was just the primary and Aiken was leading.

The race was considered too close to call, but Aiken was ahead of Crisco by 369 votes. Both candidates were awaiting word from Tuesday’s official canvass before determining how to proceed.

- See more at: http://courier-tribune.com/news/congressional-candidate-keith-crisco-dies-suddenly-home#sthash.lGfdXerd.dpuf

[OKNancy]

15. glad someone else is keeping up with this race

I checked the news reports the first thing last Wednesday.

I like Clay. He is far from a light-weight. I know it will be a hard race, but I sure hope he can pull it out.
I gave him $25.00, since it's hopeless here in my district ( Republican is running unopposed)

[MADem]

17. Good for you!

I'm surprised at how many people don't realize this is primary season....

It gives me a bit of a sense of despair to be honest with you. This is supposed to be the place where the "interested twenty percent" of the population meets...

No wonder turnout is so low!

[OKNancy]

18. who needs real politics

when there is so much hyperbole, hand-wringing, and pissing and moaning to do?

[MADem]

24. Ain't that the sad truth! nt

[KoKo]

29. You and MaDem both live in NC? That's a surprise to me...

????

[OKNancy]

30. No, I live in Oklahoma

OK = Oklahoma
Nancy = my name

[MADem]

32. I live in MA now.

I lived in SC a half century ago, never lived in NC--have driven through it often enough, though. Lived in VA a while ago, CA, FL, NYC for a bit, in a dozen or more nations overseas...but never lived in NC.

I follow races that are high profile in places other than where I live.

Don't you? I thought everyone, pretty much, did.

It's so much easier now, with the internet and all....

[KoKo]

34. interesting

Yes...I follow elections in places I've lived, also...sharing NYC and SC with you. You just seemed to know more about the NC race than I would have thought given your DU handle and focus of some of your posts.

Clay Aiken is definitely an interesting candidate and I'm pleased he managed to get enough votes to win. Have high hopes that NC can wrest itself back from the Republican take over. NC voted for Obama in 2008 so there is hope we can pull ourselves back from the Tea Party types, ALEC/Koch Brothers and our local RW Businessman's (he's a Jesse Helms Clone) control.

[MADem]

36. Aiken was a high profile race from the git-go, because of his celebrity status and the

fact that he's gay in NC (if he were gay in VT or MA or a number of other states it wouldn't be quite the attention-getter). I'd love to see him win.

[armed_and_liberal]

14. Aiken is God's chosen?

Sounds like the hand (foot?) of God may have kicked the ladder out from under poor Mr Crisco.

[ForgoTheConsequence]

21. Tasteless.

...

[armed_and_liberal]

28. You are probably right

My Bad........I grew up in NW North Carolina. I know folks down that way who actually will think that.

[OKNancy]

16. Clay Aiken's words:

Aiken announced he is suspending all campaign activities "as we pray for his family and friends."

"He was a gentleman, a good and honorable man and an extraordinary public servant. I was honored to know him," Aiken said in a statement.

http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/clay-aiken-opponent-keith-crisco-dead-n103551

[nolabear]

19. Nicely done, and the only appropriate thing to do.

[mmonk]

35. Aiken is the nominee now without recount.

Crisco was a good man and highly admired for years of service to NC as well as his community. My 2 cents.