The Ohio secretary of state's office said Thursday it is checking whether a special election must be held, and when.

Tubbs Jones, the first black woman to represent Ohio in Congress, died Wednesday evening after suffering a brain hemorrhage caused by a ruptured aneurysm. She was 58.

Tubbs Jones was up for re-election in November. The state held a special election last December following the death of Republican Congressman Paul Gillmor, who died in September from a fall at his Washington apartment.

The death of Tubbs Jones leaves a political void in a heavily Democratic district as the party gears up for the presidential election.