A Brazilian presidential candidate died on Wednesday, along with six others, when a plane crashed in a suburb of the coastal city of Santos, USA Today reported.

Eduardo Campos, a member of a long-time Brazilian political family, his campaign photographer, press adviser and two pilots, died in the crash. Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has suspended her campaign for three days, declaring them days of national mourning.

"Without a doubt it is a loss," Rousseff said in a statement. "Aside from our differences, we have always maintained a strong relationship of mutual respect."

Campos, a former governor, was at the top of the Socialist Party ticket in Brazil's upcoming elections. He last was in third in the national polls, well behind Rousseff, who is with the Worker's Party.

The Socialist Party has not made any decisions on how it plans to proceed after Campos' death. Eliseu Gabriel, a city councilman in Sao Paolo and member of the Socialist Party, said the campaign was stopping for the time being.

"The campaign was about to start, and he had a big chance of making it to the second round" of Brazil's two-round race, Gabriel said. "Eduardo Campos represented a great hope for a profound change in Brazilian politics."

Some political experts say that the Socialist Party could name Campos' running mate, Marina Silva, as the presidential candidate on the Socialist ticket, The Associated Press reported.

"If she runs, it becomes a more competitive race," said Joao Augusto de Castro Neves, the Latin American director of Eurasia Group consulting firm. "It would be a pretty close race to see who is going to be the runner up."

Brazilian airspace authorities report that the plane was trying to land in poor weather. The Air Force said the plan was a Cessna 560XL.

Campos' brother, Antonio Campos, told the media that his brother would be buried in the family tomb in Pernambuco.