On January 5, 1999, he announced that he would defend his Senate seat in his 2000 reelection. In his bid for reelection to the Senate, Ashcroft faced a challenge from then-Governor [[Mel Carnahan]]. Carnahan died in an airplane crash two weeks prior to the November general election. Carnahan recieved a majority of votes though, in hopes the incumbent Democratic Governor would fill the vacancy with his spouse. The issue of whether a dead person could be elected to the Senate appeared headed to the Courts when Ashcroft was asked by President-elect Bush to serve as U.S. Attorney General, and thus a vacancy did actually appear. | On January 5, 1999, he announced that he would defend his Senate seat in his 2000 reelection. In his bid for reelection to the Senate, Ashcroft faced a challenge from then-Governor [[Mel Carnahan]]. Carnahan died in an airplane crash two weeks prior to the November general election. Carnahan recieved a majority of votes though, in hopes the incumbent Democratic Governor would fill the vacancy with his spouse. The issue of whether a dead person could be elected to the Senate appeared headed to the Courts when Ashcroft was asked by President-elect Bush to serve as U.S. Attorney General, and thus a vacancy did actually appear. |