Richard Ojeda

Richard Ojeda
Member of the West Virginia Senate
from the 7th district
In office
December 1, 2016 – January 14, 2019
Preceded byArt Kirkendoll
Succeeded byPaul Hardesty
Personal details
Born
Richard Neece Ojeda II

(1970-09-25) September 25, 1970 (age 54)
Rochester, Minnesota, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Kelly Ojeda
Children2
EducationWest Virginia State University (BA)
Webster University (MBA)
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Army
Years of service1988–2013
Rank Major
Battles/warsWar in Afghanistan
Iraq War
Awards Bronze Star (2)

Richard Neece Ojeda II (/oʊˈdʒɛdə/; born September 25, 1970) is an American politician and retired U.S. Army officer.[1][2] He was the West Virginia State Senator from the 7th district from 2016 to 2019. He is a member of the Democratic Party.

Career

Ojeda was the Democratic nominee for the U.S. House of Representatives in West Virginia's 3rd congressional district in the 2018 election, but lost that election to Republican Carol Miller.[3]

On November 12, 2018, Ojeda announced his candidacy for President of the United States in the 2020 election.[4] Ojeda was the second office-holding Democrat to announce a campaign for the 2020 U.S. presidential election, the first being Maryland Rep. John Delaney.[5] As no current state legislator has ever made a serious bid for the presidency, Ojeda was considered a "longshot" and "underdog" candidate.[6][7] On January 26, 2019, Ojeda withdrew from the election.[8]

On January 13, 2020, Ojeda announced his campaign for the United States Senate, challenging incumbent Shelley Moore Capito.[9][10] However, he lost the nomination to progressive Paula Jean Swearengin.

In 2023, Ojeda formed "Turn Left PAC" which initially attacked West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin as a "traitor." Although public filings show the PAC has raised minimal funds,[11] in 2024 Ojeda used it to publicly accuse members of Congress who favor American support for Israel's defense as being "corrupt politicians [who] line their pockets with blood money" from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

References

  1. ↑ "'He's JFK With Tattoos and a Bench Press'". POLITICO Magazine. Retrieved 2018-09-19.
  2. ↑ "Democrat touts coal, Army background in first ad for W. Va. congressional race". ABC News. 2018-09-12. Retrieved 2018-09-19.
  3. ↑ "Carol Miller Defeats Richard Ojeda in District 3". WOWK. 2018-11-07. Archived from the original on 2018-11-13. Retrieved 2018-11-12.
  4. ↑ "W.Va. Sen. Richard Ojeda officially announces run for president in 2020". WSAZ. 2018-11-12. Retrieved 2018-11-12.
  5. ↑ "Richard Ojeda slams border 'stunt,' plots 2020 bid". MSNBC.com. Retrieved 2018-12-31.
  6. ↑ Secular Talk, BREAKING: Richard Ojeda Running For President In 2020, retrieved 2018-12-31
  7. ↑ Malone, Clare (2018-11-12). "Can A Trump Voter From West Virginia Win The 2020 Democratic Primary?". FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved 2018-12-31.
  8. ↑ The Young Turks (January 25, 2019). "Richard Ojeda's SHOCKING Announcement". youtube.com. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
  9. ↑ Budryk, Zack (2020-01-13). "Democrat Richard Ojeda announces Senate bid after dropping out of presidential race". TheHill. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
  10. ↑ Pierson, Lacie (2020-01-13). "Familiar names surge during first day of filing for 2020 election in West Virginia". Charleston Gazette-Mail. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
  11. ↑ Lash, Ruth Talbot, Brandon Roberts, Nat (2024-10-07). "Turn Left PAC — 527 Explorer". ProPublica. Retrieved 2024-10-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

Other websites

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Richard Ojeda.