On October 27, Steve Collett, 58, of Hermosa Beach, California, died unexpectedly, apparently of bacterial pneumonia. In 2012 he had been the Libertarian Party’s best-funded congressional candidate. He raised $212,989 and spent $187,077, according to the FEC records, in his campaign for California’s 33rd district. He had been planning to make another run in 2014 for the same office.

Here is a news story about him; there will probably be others soon.

Collett’s 2012 race was against incumbent Democratic Congressman Henry Waxman, and Republican-turned-independent Bill Bloomfield, and several other candidates. Waxman and Bloomfield placed first and second in the June 2012 primary. Bloomfield spent $1,214,976 in the race. Under California’s top-two system, Collett was barred from the November election and couldn’t even be a write-in candidate because the 2012 session of the legislature had abolished write-in space in general elections for Congress and partisan state office. Thanks to Independent Political Report for the link.