House hopeful in Oklahoma dies from car crash

Earl Emmitt Everett, an 81-year-old Democratic House candidate in Oklahoma, has died from injuries related to a car accident on Friday, The Associated Press reports.

{mosads}Police told the AP that Everett died at a Tulsa, Okla., hospital on Sunday. Police said Everett’s car had been hit from the side when he was trying to cross a road on Friday.

Everett was a long-shot candidate taking on Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.).

The AP reports he is a Korean War veteran and a former schoolteacher.

“The passing of Earl Everett is tragic and unexpected,” the Oklahoma Democratic Party said in a statement. “We honor the memory of Mr. Everett, a Korean War Veteran, and his desire to represent the people of Eastern Oklahoma. Anyone that is willing to put their name on a ballot in order to be voted on by their peers as a public servant deserves our admiration and respect. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this difficult time.” 

“My family and our entire team extend our deepest condolences to the family of Earl Everett,” Mullin said in a statement, according to KWTV in Oklahoma. “We pray for God’s grace and comfort for them during this time and in the coming weeks.”

Everett’s name will remain on the ballot, KWTV reports.