Bruce Giudici, who died after campaigning accident, leads Calaveras County supervisor race: Here's what happens if he wins

A deceased candidate in Northern California is on course to win a seat on the Calaveras County Board of Supervisors, potentially creating an unusual situation in which the state's incoming governor will have to appoint someone to fill the position.

Bruce Giudici is on course to win a Calaveras County supervisor seat despite dying during his campaign. If the result holds, the seat will be vacant when the term begins in January, giving Governor-elect Xavier Becerra authority to appoint a replacement.Bruce Giudici, who died in August while campaigning, was leading the race for the District 5 supervisor seat by nearly 500 votes in the county's latest unofficial election results.

According to the latest figures, Giudici received 2,002 votes, representing 57.1% of the total, while his opponent, former Supervisor Clyde Clapp, secured 1,505 votes, or 42.9%. Giudici held a lead of 497 votes. Although the results are not yet final, the remaining ballots are unlikely to change the outcome, Newsweek reported, citing someone associated with Giudici's campaign.

The county elections office reported that 168 ballots had yet to be processed. Additionally, 340 ballots remained eligible for signature correction, a process that allows voters to resolve missing or mismatched signatures.

It remains uncertain how many of these outstanding ballots belong to District 5. The next update to the unofficial results is scheduled for 5 p.m. Friday, while the official election results must be certified by December 3.

"There are a few hundred ballots left to process, but it is unlikely that the outcome of the race will change," Carrie Biggs-Adams, a volunteer with Giudici's campaign, told KCRA in Sacramento. Giudici, 68, died after suffering a serious head injury while campaigning in Valley Springs on August 30.

He had been visiting voters door-to-door when he fell on a steep driveway. A homeowner immediately contacted emergency services, and Giudici was transported to San Joaquin General Hospital, where he died the following day.

His name remained on the ballot because California election law does not permit the removal of a candidate who dies after the 68th day preceding an election. Consequently, votes cast for Giudici continued to count. A similar situation occurred in Texas this year, where a Brazoria County justice of the peace who died in September also remained on the ballot.

Following Giudici's death, his campaign shared an emotional message on social media: "Bruce may be gone, but his mission continues." Biggs-Adams explained that continuing the campaign was not an easy decision for those involved.

"It was a very complicated decision to decide to keep going and an emotional one, and we felt very strongly that Bruce had wanted to do this," she said. Giudici previously worked as a fiscal officer at the Amador Tuolumne Community Action Agency, a nonprofit organization.

He held both bachelor's and graduate degrees from the University of California, Davis. During his campaign, he focused on several local concerns, including responsible government spending, wildfire preparedness, public safety and improving the county's deteriorating roads.

He is survived by his wife, Debbie, and their two daughters, according to his obituary. Roberta Corso, Giudici's campaign treasurer and a close friend, remembered him as someone with exceptional financial abilities. Speaking to The New York Times, she described him as "wicked smart with numbers."