Richard Ojeda - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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 53)
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 (/ˈɛdə/; 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[change | change source]

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.

References[change | change source]

  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.

Other websites[change | change source]