Charlotte Burks was elected on Tuesday to a state Senate seat she never sought.

Her husband, State Senator Tommy Burks, was shot to death on his hog farm on Oct. 19. His Republican opponent, Byron (Low Tax) Looper, was charged with killing the conservative Democrat. Mr. Looper, who legally changed his middle name to (Low Tax), ran his campaign from jail.

Mr. Burks's widow was urged to step forward as a write-in candidate. With all but one precinct reporting today, she had 30,072 votes, or 95 percent.

Mr. Looper, the Putnam County assessor, had 1,500 votes, or 5 percent.

Because the killing occurred within 30 days of the election, Democrats were not allowed to replace Mr. Burks's name on the ballot. Mrs. Burks was persuaded to run, and her campaign blossomed even though she never campaigned.