Ex-coal CEO Don Blankenship couldn't win a Senate seat with the GOP. He's trying now as a Democrat
Former West Virginia coal executive Don Blankenship has filed paperwork to run for Joe Manchin's U.S. Senate seat
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Former West Virginia coal executive Don Blankenship, who lost by a wide margin when he ran for a U.S. Senate seat as a Republican in 2018, filed paperwork Friday to run as a Democrat for the seat being vacated by Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin.
Blankenship’s entrance into this year's race came a day before the deadline for political candidates to file for the May 14 primary. The state Democratic Party in the deeply red state immediately distanced itself from Blankenship, who has two primary challengers.
Blankenship finished third among six candidates in the 2018 GOP Senate primary with 20% of the vote. He then lost a bid to run in the general election as a third-party candidate. Manchin won a full second term that fall, defeating current Republican Attorney General Patrick Morrisey. Manchin announced in November that he won’t seek reelection.
