he wasn't fit for the position. On February 1, 2019, Ann Ferlic, his wife, announced that she would run for the Democratic nomination in Nebraska's 2nd congressional district. During the primary campaign Ann was endorsed by former senators Ben Nelson and Bob Kerrey and former lieutenant governor Kim M. Robak. Ann also claimed that she was the only electable candidate citing Eastman's defeat to Bacon in 2018. In the Democratic primary, Eastman easily defeated Ann with over sixty percent of the popular vote. After Ann's defeat in the Democratic primary the Ashfords declined to endorse Eastman. In October, Ashford endorsed his former rival Bacon over Eastman. On August 1, 2018, Douglas County District Judge Mark Ashford, his brother, died from a stroke. In May 2019, Ashford was hospitalized after a fluid backup happened in his lungs due to blood clots. In February 2022, Ashford announced he had been diagnosed with brain cancer. He died on April 19, 2022, aged 72. He was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Omaha. Political positions In 1988, Ashford, Jerry Chizek, and Bernice Labedz sponsored legislation that would require all video-cassettes marketed to minors to be given a rating label. The bill was created in response to complaints that Faces of Death and other graphic movies lacked warning labels. In 1990, Ashford introduced an amendment that would allow the state legislature to confirm members of the appellate court, but it failed with twenty-one to eight voting against it. On April 3, 1991, he voted in favor of legislation altering Nebraska's method of electoral college allotment from winner-take-all to being distributed to the statewide winner and the winner of each congressional district. The legislation was later signed into law by Governor Ben Nelson. Health In 1992, a legal challenge was brought against Pennsylvania's abortion laws. Thirteen governors, twelve lieutenant governors, seventeen attorneys general, nine hundred ninety-five state legislators signed a friend of the court brief to support a woman's right to get an abortion. Ashford and seven other Nebraskan senators signed the brief. In 2010, he proposed an amendment to an abortion bill to allow illegal immigrants to receive state-funded prenatal care. He cited reports showing the illegal immigrants were getting abortions as they lacked Medicaid coverage. On September 18, 2014, Ashford debated incumbent Representative Lee Terry and during the debate he stated that he would have voted against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care