Richard Ojeda

Richard Ojeda
Member of the West Virginia Senate
from the 7th district
Assumed office
December 1, 2016
Serving with Ron Stollings
Preceded by Art Kirkendoll
Personal details
Born Richard Neece Ojeda II
(1970-10-25) October 25, 1970
Rochester, Minnesota, U.S.
Political party Democratic
Spouse(s) Kelly Ojeda
Children 2
Education West Virginia State University (BA)
Webster University (MBA)
Military service
Allegiance  United States
Service/branch  United States Army
Years of service 1988–2013
Rank Major
Battles/wars War in Afghanistan
Iraq War
Awards Bronze Star (2)

Richard Neece Ojeda II (/oʊˈdʒɛdə/;[1] born September 25, 1970) is an American politician and retired U.S. Army officer[2][3] serving as the West Virginia State Senator from the 7th district since 2016, covering all of Logan County, Boone County and Lincoln County and portions of Wayne County and Mingo County. He is a member of the Democratic Party and its nominee for the U.S. House of Representatives in West Virginia's 3rd congressional district in the 2018 election.

Early life and education

Ojeda was born into a Democratic family, and registered as a Democrat himself; he remarked, "back when I was in high school, being a Republican was like cursing." Ojeda is of Mexican descent – his grandfather had illegally immigrated from the Mexican state of Jalisco, and his father was born in the United States but moved to Mexico and lived there until the age of 8.[4][5][6]

Ojeda graduated from Logan High School in 1988.[5][1]

Early career

Ojeda served 24 years in the United States Army, rising to the rank of major.[1] He earned two Bronze Stars.[1] According to Ojeda, he came close to dying on five occasions.[1] During his service, he spent time in Korea, Honduras, Jordan, Haiti, Afghanistan and Iraq.[1]

Ojeda has worked as a high school teacher.[7] He helped start a Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps at a local high school.[1] He established a nonprofit, the Logan Empowerment Action and Development, which engages in community cleanup and provides food, clothes and toys for the poor, elderly and children.[1]

Political career

Ojeda received national attention when he was assaulted at a primary campaign event in May 2016.[8]

In the West Virginia Senate, Ojeda sponsored the West Virginia Medical Cannabis Act, legislation to legalize medical marijuana, which was signed into law by Governor Jim Justice on April 19, 2017.[9][1]

In the Senate, he called for increases in teacher wages, arguing that low pay would lead to strikes and teachers leaving the state.[7] In January 2018, he criticized West Virginia Governor Jim Justice's proposed 1-2% increase in teacher wages, saying it was insufficient.[7]

Despite being a Democrat, he supported Donald Trump for president in 2016.[10] He told Politico that he voted for Trump because he initially believed Trump would do something for West Virginians. By 2018, he expressed regret for voting for Trump, saying that "he hasn’t done shit" and he's "taking care of the daggone people he's supposed to be getting rid of."[1] Ojeda supported Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primary.[11]

Ojeda is running for West Virginia's 3rd congressional district vacated by Republican Evan Jenkins, who filed instead to run in the primary for the U.S. Senate.[12]

According to Ojeda, his campaign only accepts donations from individual donors and labor unions.[1] He won the Democratic primary on May 9, 2018, defeating Shirley Love, Janice Hagerman, and Paul Davis, and will face Republican Carol Miller in the general election.[13]

Ojeda, while personally pro-life, believes abortion should be legal because blocking access to abortion would disproportionately hurt the poor.[11] He has been described as a populist.[14]

Education

Ojeda has a bachelors' degree in general education from West Virginia State University and a master's degree in business and organizational security from Webster University.[15]

Electoral history

West Virginia Senate District 7 (Position B) election, 2016[16]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Richard Ojeda 19,978 58.8%
Republican Jordan Ray Bridges 13,987 41.2%
Total votes 33,965 100.0%
West Virginia's 3rd congressional district Democratic primary, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Richard Ojeda 29,837 52.0%
Democratic Shirley Love 14,251 24.9%
Democratic Paul Davis 9,063 15.8%
Democratic Janice "Byrd" Hagerman 4,176 7.3%
Total votes 57,327 100.0%

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Kruse, Michael (2018-03-02). "'He's JFK With Tattoos and a Bench Press'". Politico.
  2. ↑ "'He's JFK With Tattoos and a Bench Press'". POLITICO Magazine. Retrieved 2018-09-19.
  3. ↑ News, A. B. C. (2018-09-12). "Democrat touts coal, Army background in first ad for W. Va. congressional race". ABC News. Retrieved 2018-09-19.
  4. ↑ Larissa MacFarquhar (November 10, 2016). "Learning Trump Won, in West Virginia". The New Yorker. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
  5. 1 2 MacFarquhar, Larissa (October 10, 2016). "In the Heart of Trump Country". The New Yorker. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
  6. ↑ Schwartzmann, Gabe (March 15, 2018). "Analysis: The Mountain State's Labor Tradition". The Daily Yonder. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
  7. 1 2 3 WRITER, Rusty Marks STAFF. "Senator warns of possible teacher strike". WV News. Retrieved 2018-05-09.
  8. ↑ Stelloh, Tim (2016-05-09). "West Virginia State Senate Candidate, a Veteran, Brutally Beaten". NBC News. Retrieved 2017-06-04.
  9. ↑ Barren, Amanda (2017-04-19). "UPDATE: Gov. Justice signs medical marijuana bill into law". WSAZ. Retrieved 2017-06-04.
  10. ↑ Ball, Krystal. "This could be the future of the Democratic Party". Vice News. HBO. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  11. 1 2 Murphy, Tim (May 8, 2018). "He Voted for Trump. Now He's Running for Congress as a Pro-Pot, Pro-Coal Democrat". Mother Jones. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  12. ↑ Ferguson, F. Brian (2017-05-11). "Ojeda, Phillips latest to declare runs for Congress". Charleston Gazette-Mail. Retrieved 2017-06-04.
  13. ↑ Fernández Campbell, Alexia (May 9, 2018). "Richard Ojeda's West Virginia primary win gives Democrats their best chance to turn coal country blue". Vox. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  14. ↑ Murphy, Tim (May 9, 2018). "West Virginia's Surging Democrat Richard Ojeda Slams Trump". Mother Jones.
  15. ↑ "Ojeda's education".
  16. ↑ "Statewide Results: General Election - November 8, 2016". West Virginia Secretary of State. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
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