Richard Ojeda, West Virginia's Trump-voting Democrat, Forms Presidential Committee

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

Source: Roll Call

On the heels of his losing congressional bid in West Virginia, state Sen. Richard Ojeda, has filed to run for the Democratic nomination for president.

Ojeda filed paperwork Sunday night with the Federal Election Commission creating a principal campaign committee with the name “Ojeda for President.” The filing does not list a year. An email to supporters told them to tune in for a noon announcement on Monday.

Ojeda voted for President Donald Trump in 2016, but he failed to win over enough Trump voters to carry West Virginia's 3rd District last week. With the backing Trump, GOP state Del. Carol Miller defeated Ojeda by nearly 13 points in the southern West Virginia district that’s home to many of the state’s coal mines. (She could be the only new Republican woman in the next Congress.) Trump carried the district by nearly 50 points in 2016 and remains popular in the region.

A retired Army major, Ojeda made national news when he was beaten with brass knuckles days before his state Senate primary in 2016. He continued to garner national press throughout early 2017 and 2018 as an example of a Democrat who could appeal in Trump country.

Read more: https://www.rollcall.com/news/politics/richard-ojeda-presidential-committee

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It appears all those whitewashed, laughable "JFK with tattoos and bench press" profiles from Krystal Ball and Michael Moore, Rolling Stone and others went to his head and he needs more national media, rather than go back to his county job.



(From - https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/10/10/in-the-heart-of-trump-country)

He made his announcement to the Intercept, seems fitting given his past Trump endorsement. The Intercept even claims Ojeda "led" the teacher's strikes in their headline, which couldn't be further than the case. The unions here did that. Ojeda rolled in and gave some speeches.

His announcement seems to be a bash Dems approach, with a bunch of references to "Goldman Sachs" and other Bust talking points. Odd for a guy with a rightwing record in WV.
It appears his buzz is coming from the TYT, Justice "Democrats" crowd, which is interesting, as they constantly accuse folks like Warren, Harris and others of being "not a true progressive."

I wonder how they square away the fact that Ojeda looked at everything Trump did in 2016, from the Mexicans-are-rapists bit, calling for violence, birtherism and the pussygrab tape and said this was his guy.

Throw in his anti-choice record and support for the Trump pollution plan at the EPA and you have a bizarre choice for Democratic campaign.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. Well, good luck with that...

[Qutzupalotl]

2. Oh God, no.

He really is a Democratic Trump. That is NOT what this country needs right now.

If both parties start nominating Trump-like candidates, Idiocracy will look like a documentary.

[Drunken Irishman]

3. So...he's running to replace a guy he 100% supports?

[Mz Pip]

4. Who???

This guy has zero chance.

[alwaysinasnit]

5. Huh. A tRump loving Democrat. Sounds like an oxymoron to me.

Ojeda and his fellow RWNJ love to spout that "illegal aliens" get so many freebies, in essence, taking them from worthy Americans. That is so far from the truth.

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/no-undocumented-immigrants-arent-stealing-your-benefits_us_5a144263e4b010527d6780b0

For Chrissakes, for nearly every government benefit, you need to provide a valid social security number, and you just can't get one without proof that you have either legal status or governmental permission to be here (at least temporarily).

[brooklynite]

20. How quickly people here forget...

He was a popular fellow around here a month or two ago as a House candidate.

[srobertss]

6. He's also getting buzz from Politico

The following article says nothing about his stance on immigrants. It seems like it’s trying to be neutral, but that’s a big oversight. The comments have quite a few favorable responses as well. What is going on? Trumpistas hiding in the Democratic Party? He repudiated Trump after the 2026 election and Trump called him a wacko in the 2018 election.

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/11/07/richard-ojeda-loses-west-virginia-donald-trump-222316

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

7. He loved spewing that "immigrants are taking yer benefits" lie when he was pushing Trump

He's tried to walk it back, as guys like Michael Moore and the Young Turks whitewash his past and push him as "a progressive" (weirdly, they found the far more left Clinton too rightwing), but his true colors have been shown.

He's also anti-choice, anti-EPA and tried to unseat our former Democratic U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall for not being wingnutty and subservient enough to the coal industry.

The guy's an egomaniac and a nut and will do all he can to try to cause "Bust" chaos in the primaries.

[SergeStorms]

8. What you said!

Buying the GOP lie that immigrants are eligible to collect health benefits (even dental!) is beyond the pale of any Democrat, and full on into lying GOP propaganda nut-job territory. Ojeda stands as much chance of winning any Democratic primary as Vladimir Putin.

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

9. Yet Krystal Ball is gung ho for him tonight

Wonder if Michael Moore will continue to push this rightwinger as well.

[Blue_Tires]

25. That's a shame...

I was lowkey in love with Krystal Ball for many years, and now she pulls this shit?

[DeminPennswoods]

37. She's one of those centrist, 3rd way Dems

Republican lite.

[Blue_Tires]

40. Well she's dead to me now...

She's been shilling so hard for Ojeda all day on Twitter you'd think he was her boyfriend or something...

[srobertss]

11. It seems like people are desperate...

...to find Democrats who can relate to Trumpistas. I hadn’t clicked through to the original article before I commented, but that article also missed the immigration issue. It’s not just the far left, like Moore and The Young Turks, trying to make something of this guy. I think everyone is busy trotting out people who they think will be relatable to the other tribe. I’m in the camp that says don’t be afraid to be radical if it’s authentic and rings true to people. I think that’s what people are hungry for. They’re afraid of politicians who are too beholden to corporations and Wall Street. But I was really interested in Laurence Lessig’s article in The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/nov/11/beto-orourke-billie-sutton-democrat-strategy-midterms where he expressed the belief that the one issue that should be emphasized over everything else is that we genuinely do need to “drain the swamp” and that Beto ORourke missed that message in Texas. Whatever it takes to beat Trump in 2020. That’s what I want.

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

12. There's nothing radical about a guy smearing immigrants and refugees

and trotting out the "they're going to take yer benefits" lie. If anyone on the Republican side was saying this, we'd rightfully call them out as a xenophobe.

I cant see anything good about this guy - terrible positions and no accomplishments and it seems his only appeal is that he's a loudmouth who campaigns in a T-shirt and shorts.

[srobertss]

15. I totally agree

I don’t think anyone who has those views on immigration, even if he has recanted them, is acceptable. I was just saying that people seem to be desperate for someone acceptable to trumpistas, not just radicals, but Politico and Roll call. He is not acceptable to me.

[Blue_Tires]

41. Bernie has been swearing for 2+ years that winning Trump voters

is the magic formula for victory... I didn't believe that then, and I don't believe it now.

[dameatball]

13. Yup. Egomaniac. No thanks.

[JI7]

10. maybe he wants to prove he can do worse than Jim Webb did when he ran

[Xipe Totec]

14. Proceed, Ojete. nt

[JI7]

16. if this guy runs the only reason would be to try to damage whoever ends up the Democratic Nominee

there is no way he would win the nomination because he supported Trump over Clinton. but he could do all he can to spew the usual shit which the media will pick up on and run with to try to explain why racist white guys are not really racist even though they are voting for racist candidates.

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

17. Oh, the NY Times will just adore him

for their Misunderstood Trump Voter series.

And I'm sure he'll be a fixture on the Sunday shows when he inevitably endorses Trump again, claiming he "had no choice but to reject (insert Democratic nominee's name here) because (insert disingenuous excuse here)."

We have Michael Moore and the Young Turks to thank for boosting this rightwinger into the national spotlight.

[Blue_Tires]

26. Exactly... We've seen this charade before.

Dude's odds of even being a serious contender for the nomination are less than winning the Powerball, but he'll get a lot of softball profiles and primetime interview slots on cable news just for flinging shit on the Democratic Party...

And when he drops out of the primary after not getting any votes, those hacks on the Dudebro punditsphere already have their "THE ESTABLISHMENT DNC ELITE LED BY CLINTON AND PELOSI SABOTAGED THE PERFECT CANDIDATE BECAUSE REASONS AND THAT'S WHY THEY'LL ALWAYS LOSE ELECTIONS!!!" -narrative baking in the oven. I've seen it all before...

[a la izquierda]

18. Riddle me this, however:

Two weeks ago, those of us living in WV would’ve been told to vote for him because, like Manchin, he’s got a D after his name. But nationally he’s not good enough?

So now what’s the problem? (Rhetorically speaking, I don’t actually care about the answer. He’s a nutter and thankfully I didn’t have to vote for him because we had an actual progressive run, but lose, in my WV house district. I wouldn’t have anyway because of his stance on immigration). Oh and around here they call him “O-jedda” not “O-heyda.”

[Blue_Tires]

32. Nationally we have an infinite number of better choices as candidates

in WV you gotta take what you can get...

[paleotn]

19. Another lost soul who can't figure things out.

OK, Mr. JFK with tats. Show me undocumented persons illegally receiving state and federal benefits. And while you're at it, show me one single, solitary person in West Virginy' who starved to death for lack of those benefits. Until he can prove the existence of these two memes, he's as full of shit as any trumpkin. He seems as much a demagogue as shitler. All talking points, but no substance.

[workinclasszero]

21. This should end well

[BlueStater]

22. Why was he accepted as a Democrat in the first place?

He VOTED for fucking Trump! I can't wrap my head around this.

[Dopers_Greed]

23. Why President? Why not run for the WV Senate seat?

He'd actually have a chance for the Senate seat

[Blue_Tires]

33. I get the feeling that he doesn't care about holding office, he wants only to cause chaos

and on the biggest stage possible...

[Blue_Tires]

24. You mean to tell me that the Intercept

is whoring for yet another egotistical fringe renegade spoiler who hates Dems more than he hates Trump and the GOP? Color me shocked...

It's funny because for years any Dem who ever voted for/sided with the GOP at any time in their lives automatically failed the Greenwald/Taibbi purity test, and now they're going all in on this weirdo...

[emulatorloo]

28. +1

[Tommy_Carcetti]

27. Good luck there, buddy. nt

[lilactime]

29. Yuck.

[Gothmog]

30. Is the guy who Michael Moore praised in his last movie?

[Maeve]

31. Some people just have too much time on their hands eom

[Blue_Tires]

34. Evidently he voted for Donnie because he thought all the coal jobs would return

So he's also naive and gullible

Link to tweet

[Blue_Tires]

35. The ultimate question is "why"? He's the answer to a question that wasn't asked...

Link to tweet

[Eric J in MN]

36. When anyone who has held elected office announces a presidential

...campaign, there is an article about it.

[Blue_Tires]

43. The "why" I was asking was

Why does this mook think he has a snowballs chance of even lasting to the primary?

Why does he believe he can be taken seriously by any significant number of Dems after siding with the enemy two years ago?

And Why do certain thought leaders of the left pundisphere have such a hard-on about pimping this unqualified nobody from nowhere? (that's the million dollar question)

[Eric J in MN]

44. Maybe he doesn't think he has a chance

...but he wants to raise his profile to raise issues or to get speaking fees or a book deal.

As to why some people responding positively, he’s a Democratic WV State Senator, and less than a week ago he was a Democratic nominee for Congress.

[Blue_Tires]

45. He can't win a house race so now he'll run for POTUS instead?

And I fail to see why anyone outside of WV would give this dude the time of day, yet he has quite a few high-profile friends on the far left...? Krystal Ball and the Intercept aren't fooling anyone with this stunt... I know their game.

[DeminPennswoods]

38. You know who could win there?

A Democratic socialist candidate because they support solutions to the problems these folks face like universal healthcare, raising the minimum wage, supporting unions, better education and so on.

[Blue_Tires]

39. You realize this is West Virginia we're talking about, right?

Not exactly a hotbed of prole uprisings...

[DeminPennswoods]

46. I do

The DSA message of economic populism would play very well with these voters.

[Vinca]

42. Well, everyone needs a hobby. In NH we always have Vermin Supreme on the ballot.