Richard Ojeda, a former congressional candidate who recently lost a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives to Republican Carol Miller, has officially announced that he will be running for president in 2020.
In a Facebook Live video released on Monday, Nov. 12, he announced his candidacy and listed problems in Washington, DC that he feels are detrimental to the state.
In his video announcement, Ojeda said that West Virginians “have not really had people that have fought for the working-class citizens in this country.” He went on to say, “The President of the United States, Republicans, and Democrats have focused more on in-fighting, political wars, than they have focused on being there for working class citizens.” He also discussed fixing the healthcare system, fighting the opioid epidemic, and creating opportunities for those living in poverty.
Ojeda lost solidly to Miller in the primary election on Nov. 6, garnering only 75,855 votes (43 percent) across 18 counties compared to Miller’s 98,130 (56 percent). Miller held a majority vote in 16 of the 18 southern counties in the state, including Greenbrier County where she led with 54 percent of the vote, and Ojeda led only in Boone and Fayette counties by a slim margin.
Ojeda’s platform argues that the Democratic Party is not what it once was, and that special interest groups and wealthy individuals have changed the platform. His congressional campaign ran on these values, and it’s anticipated that a presidential campaign will do the same.