Carswell’s resignation was at the end of August, just 6 weeks ago. That’s a fast special (or by-election). We don’t have elections that fast in the U.S. We’re lucky if a special gets called in under 6 months (allowing for a special primary, special runoff (if applicable) before getting to the special general).
In Canada one of Harper’s cabinet minsters who narrowly won a heavily Liberal seat resigned and ran in by-election after a minor fund-raising scandal, he lost badly. Stupid stupid move.
In the UK David Davis, the guy who lost the CON leadership race to Cameron, resigned and ran again as a protest to some law he didn’t like. He won easily, but that was still stupid.