The tragic death of Senator Paul Wellstone, just 11 days before the 2002 election, created shock waves throughout Minnesota. A five-day campaign moratorium immediately went into effect across the state, ending after the memorial service. This service, held in a sports arena on the University of Minnesota campus and attracting 20,000 people, reflected both the anguish of Wellstone's supporters and the passion of his convictions, and turned, perhaps inevitably, into a foot-stamping, fist-pumping partisan rally. The backlash was immediate; callers complained about the TV coverage and donors clamored to contribute to the GOP. Six days before the election, Walter F. Mondale was selected to fill the vacancy on the ticket. These unique and tragic events affected races across the state. Strategies were undercut and money went unspent. Thus, our analysis of the Senate and the Second Congressional District races takes into account the initial campaign period before Wellstone's death, the moratorium, and the six-day campaign before Election Day.