The 2000 United States Senate election in Missouri was held on November 7, 2000, to select the next U.S. Senator from Missouri. Incumbent Republican Senator John Ashcroft ran for reelection to a second term, but he was defeated by Democratic Governor Mel Carnahan despite Carnahan's death in a plane crash three weeks before election day. Roger Wilson, the newly inaugurated governor, appointed Mel Carnahan's widow Jean Carnahan to fill the seat pending a 2002 special election. As of 2023, this is the only time a deceased person has won a U.S. Senate election. This is also the last time, as of 2023, that the Democratic nominee for this Senate seat was a man or a male.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2000_United_States_Senate_election_in_Missouri