Former convict and coal CEO Don Blankenship plans to run as the Constitution Party nominee for the West Virginia senate. He will have to challenge the state’s “sore loser” law, which “prevents failed candidates in a main-party primary from refiling to run in the general election under another party’s banner.”
If Blankenship successfully runs as a third-party candidate, the GOP might be in for a bit of a challenge especially as they have a real chance to unseat incumbent Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin.
From Politico:
Under West Virginia law, minor party candidates have until Aug. 1 to file the necessary number of signatures to qualify for the ballot. Still, it is unclear whether Blankenship is eligible.
A guide book for 2018 candidates posted on the West Virginia secretary of state’s website states: “Candidates affiliated with a recognized political party who run for election in a primary election and who lose the nomination cannot change her or his voter registration to a minor party organization/unaffiliated candidate to take advantage of the later filing deadlines and have their name on the subsequent general election ballot.”
Blankenship, who spent millions out of his own pockets to fund his Senate campaign, hinted that he was ready for a legal fight.
“Although the establishment will likely begin their efforts against us by mounting a legal challenge to my candidacy, we are confident that — if challenged — our legal position will prevail, absent a politically motivated decision by the courts,” he said.
Blankenship lost the primary to Attorney General Patrick Morrisey. I wrote earlier this month that Manchin probably would’ve preferred ro run against Blankenship because it would have placed the GOP in another tough spot similar to the Moore fiasco in Alabama.
While Morrisey is better than Blankenship, he was not viewed as the strongest candidate. That designation belongs to Republican Rep. Evan Jenkins, which is why a Democratic super PAC spent a lot of money running ads against him. The Democrats feel that Morrisey won’t be too tough to beat due to his past health-care lobbying “in a state that has suffered greatly from the opioid epidemic.”
If Blankenship finds his way on the ballot it’s tough to say if he will have any meaningful impact on the race. President Donald Trump won the state with 67.9% of the votes and the governorship recently flipped from Democrat to Republican.
Morrisey won the primary with 34.9% of the votes while Blankenship came in third with 19.9%.
[Featured image via YouTube]
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Comments
Does the Constitution Party want him? Does the Party have to want him, or can Blankenship become the nominee by his own fiat? What is the Constitution Party? Why doesn’t it already have a candidate?
Without knowing a LOT more about what this mook thinks he has up his sleeve to defeat the law, I’d give him a snowball’s chance.
Soros money will fund his defense.
Gee, I thought we were supposed to accept the outcome of the primaries, hold our nose and unify behind the party nominee?
Oh right, the Never Trumpers ended all that. My bad.
Actually, Duh Donald “ended all that” WRT W.
But, to be fair, he was an Obama supporter at the time. So there’s that…
Wrong again. We still held our nose and supported McCain. We still held our nose and supported Romney. The pact was still in place 2016.
But is that really the excuse for your treachery? Donald Trump made you do it? Which “principle” does that fall under?
There’s been no “treachery”, you lying, cowardly bastard.
There’s never been a “pact”, and who is this “we” you pretend to speak for?
LOL. I’ll explain it for you once you apologize for calling me a lying cowardly bastard.
I can happily report I’ve never in my life voted according to some illusory “pact”. I’m not a tribalist.
That you admit to having done so simply demonstrates you are twice the moron you’ve elsewhere proven yourself.
Oh, and I’ll note that you follow the trite and bankrupt tactic of deflecting from the truth (fact) and attacking me personally.
So common among T-rump sucking cultists.
What truth? Was 2016 the first time Trump ran in the GOP primaries? Did he sign a loyalty pledge? Have you never implored the rest of to back a GOP nominee we disliked for the greater good? Did you not ignore all that when it was your turn to back the GOP nominee for President?
First you say Trump broke the pact first. Then you say the pact never existed. Sounds like you are the one who has trouble with the truth, Rags.
T-rump ran for POTUS as a third-party candidate IIRC.
To the extent any illusory “pact” existed, T-rump broke it…several times.
I’ve never argued anyone should vote for anything on the basis of a herd mentality. I’ve never entertained the idea of, “Welp, other people have decided what’s right, so I’ll just fall in line”.
Seems to me you’re a lying moron.
President Trump: “Nicely done, Fen. Are you tired of winning?”
Not yet Mr President, not yet. 🙂
President Trump: “Good. But try not to break him. Sir Rags has probably already recruited more voters for Team Trump than you ever will. I appreciate his help”
Understood, Sir.
It’s nice you have your rich fantasy life to offer a redoubt.
You should guard against letting yourself wonder into the murder fantasies you often indulge in here, however.
It strikes me as rather odd that someone would be willing to spend millions of dollars on a fools errand. Either he really likes Joe Manchin, or he has one monstrous ego.
Wow. This guy is a real POS.
He’s the controlled opposition. Oldest political tactic in a two party system, run a plant to split the opposition.
Oh, God, no. Look at that piece of crap. But I’m sure there are just enough ignorant WV hillbillies to vote for him to hand the election to Mansion.
Both are so corrupt, I would not be surprised if Mansion put him up to this for compensation.
You mean the deplorables?
I would have thought that a CEO of a company responsible for the deaths of 29 coal miners through lax safety standards would have a very difficult time getting any working voters to cast ballots for him.
Blankenship seems more than a little delusional (which makes him a much better fit for the Democrats) and I doubt he will beat the ‘sore loser’ law.
Standard practice in politics to run a “splitter” like this to split the other guy’s vote. I generally see the Dems do this (remember Egg McMuffin and the Utah vote in 2016), but occasionally the Pubs do it as well.
My bet is that someone is working Blankenship to get him to do this — a little seed money, some encouragement, and a promise that if he does his job, perhaps a future Dem president will give him a pardon.
Actually, I believe McMuffin was a Republican attempt to lose to Hillary. It is a common tactic here in Colorado; the Republican Party has a history of funding 3rd Party candidates to prevent anyone more conservative than the Democrats from winning.
Great strategy, Rags, until you get stomped on by the alternative and their power mongering handlers.
What? Thinking for myself and eschewing the herd mentality. Well, it’s worked fine for me so far.
Which is not to say that I find no common cause that allows me to align with people on principle. I certainly DO. You’ve been reading my posts long enough to know that.
Hey Rags, did you advocate Trump signing the GOP Loyalty pledge before you refused to support the GOP nominee?
I thought it only sporting to give you a chance to explain yourself while my interns dig through LI archives..
Some of us are still earning a living, Fen.
No. I DID NOT really take any position on a “loyalty oath” from any candidate. Especially as pertains to T-rump, especially as he has a loooooong and despicable history of violating oaths he’s taken, including in legal procedures.
My decision not to vote for Duh Donald was FAR upstream of the GOP primary. It was made only weeks after he announced.
I hope your Pekinese is helping you paw through LI’s files. It would help you to have SOME intelligence in the process.
West Virginia has a sore loserman law.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/west-virginia-sore-loser-law-prevents-blankenship-from-running-in-november
The dirtbag.