what happens if a senator dies

In the event that a sitting senator resigns, dies, or the position otherwise becomes vacant, governors in 46 states have the power to appoint a temporary replacement. In most of those states, governors have free rein to appoint whomever they wish, with the appointee serving until a successor is elected to fill out the rest of the term. However, some states require a special election to fill a vacancy, and a few states require the governor to appoint a replacement of the same political party as the previous incumbent. The Seventeenth Amendment allows state legislatures to empower the governor to appoint a replacement to complete the term or to hold office until a special election can take place. The date when a senator appointed to fill a vacancy is succeeded by a senator elected to fill the remainder of the term depends on a number of factors. The basic rules about replacing U.S. senators are spelled out in the 17th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution: “When vacancies happen in the representation of any State in the Senate, the executive authority of such State shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies: Provided, That the legislature of any State may empower the executive thereof to make temporary appointments until the people fill the vacancies by election as the legislature may direct” .