In politics, a placeholder is an official appointed temporarily to a position, with the understanding that they will not seek office in their own right. The situation often occurs in cases where a United States Senator dies in office or leaves before the expiration of their term. In most states, governors have the power to appoint a replacement temporarily, until a special election can be held. If a governor is interested in seeking office, he or she may appoint themselves to the position; however, this may be seen by voters in a negative light as self-dealing and creating an undue advantage, and it may backfire leading to the new senator's defeat. To avoid this, the governor may instead select an aide to fill the slot for a few months, with the understanding that the appointee does not se