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Don Blankenship (West Virginia)

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Don Blankenship
Image of Don Blankenship

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments
Last election

May 14, 2024

Contact

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Don Blankenship (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. Senate to represent West Virginia. He lost in the Democratic primary on May 14, 2024.

Blankenship was a Constitution Party candidate for president of the United States in 2020. He lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.

Biography

Blankenship was the chief executive of Massey Energy Co., the leading producer of coal in Appalachia, from 2000 to 2010. He resigned following the Upper Big Branch mine explosion in April 2010 that killed 29 miners. He was convicted of conspiring to willfully violate safety standards and served one year in prison for the misdemeanor.[1][2]

Blankenship graduated from Marshall University and passed the CPA exam in 1972. He worked for the Keebler Company and Flower’s Industry before starting at Massey Energy in 1982.[2]

Elections

2024

See also: United States Senate election in West Virginia, 2024

General election

General election for U.S. Senate West Virginia

The following candidates ran in the general election for U.S. Senate West Virginia on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Jim Justice
Jim Justice (R)
 
68.8
 
514,079
Image of Glenn Elliott
Glenn Elliott (D) Candidate Connection
 
27.8
 
207,548
Image of David Moran
David Moran (L)
 
3.5
 
26,075
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Tim Stevenski (Independent) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
7
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Lewie Andrews (Independent) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
6
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Joshua Standridge (Independent) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
2

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2

Total votes: 747,717
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. Senate West Virginia

Glenn Elliott defeated Zachary Shrewsbury and Don Blankenship in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate West Virginia on May 14, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Glenn Elliott
Glenn Elliott Candidate Connection
 
45.4
 
46,176
Image of Zachary Shrewsbury
Zachary Shrewsbury Candidate Connection
 
36.1
 
36,754
Image of Don Blankenship
Don Blankenship
 
18.5
 
18,778

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 101,708
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. Senate West Virginia

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate West Virginia on May 14, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Jim Justice
Jim Justice
 
61.8
 
138,307
Image of Alexander Mooney
Alexander Mooney
 
26.5
 
59,348
Image of Bryan Bird
Bryan Bird Candidate Connection
 
3.1
 
7,001
Image of Bryan McKinney
Bryan McKinney Candidate Connection
 
2.9
 
6,573
Image of Zane Lawhorn
Zane Lawhorn Candidate Connection
 
2.0
 
4,517
Image of Janet McNulty
Janet McNulty Candidate Connection
 
2.0
 
4,404
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Don Lindsay
 
1.6
 
3,503

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 223,653
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Blankenship in this election.

2020

Presidency

See also: Presidential candidates, 2020

Former Vice President Joe Biden (D) won the presidential election on November 3, 2020. Biden received 306 electoral votes and President Donald Trump (R) received 232 electoral votes. In the national popular vote, Biden received 81.2 million votes and Trump received 74.2 million votes.


Presidential election, 2020
 
Candidate/Running mate
%
Popular votes
Electoral votes
✔
Image of
Image of
Joe Biden/Kamala D. Harris (D)
 
51.3
 
81,282,632 306
Image of
Image of
Donald Trump/Mike Pence (R)
 
46.9
 
74,223,234 232
Image of
Image of
Jo Jorgensen/Spike Cohen (L)
 
1.2
 
1,864,873 0
Image of
Image of
Howie Hawkins/Angela Nicole Walker (G)
 
0.3
 
402,795 0
Image of
Roque De La Fuente (multiple running mates) (Alliance Party)
 
0.1
 
88,214 0
Image of
Gloria La Riva (multiple running mates) (Party for Socialism and Liberation)
 
0.1
 
84,905 0
Image of
Image of
Ye/Michelle Tidball (Independent)
 
0.0
 
67,906 0
Image of
Image of
Don Blankenship/William Mohr (Constitution Party)
 
0.0
 
59,924 0
Image of
Image of
Brock Pierce/Karla Ballard (Independent)
 
0.0
 
49,764 0
Image of
Image of
Brian T. Carroll/Amar Patel (American Solidarity Party)
 
0.0
 
35,260 0
Image of
Image of
Alyson Kennedy/Malcolm Jarrett (Socialist Workers Party)
 
0.0
 
6,791 0
Image of
Image of
Bill Hammons/Eric Bodenstab (Unity Party)
 
0.0
 
6,647 0
Image of
Jade Simmons (multiple running mates) (Independent)
 
0.0
 
6,534 0
Image of
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Jerry Segal/John de Graaf (Bread and Roses)
 
0.0
 
5,949 0
Image of
Image of
Dario David Hunter/Dawn Neptune Adams (Progressive Party)
 
0.0
 
5,394 0
Image of
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Phil Collins/Billy Joe Parker (Prohibition Party)
 
0.0
 
4,844 0
Image of
Image of
Jesse Ventura/Cynthia McKinney (Green Party of Alaska)
 
0.0
 
3,284 0
Image of
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
President Boddie/Eric Stoneham (C.U.P.)
 
0.0
 
3,171 0
Image of
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Joe McHugh/Elizabeth Storm (Independent)
 
0.0
 
2,843 0
Image of
Image of
Mark Charles/Adrian Wallace (Independent)
 
0.0
 
2,662 0
Image of
Sheila Tittle (multiple running mates) (Independent)
 
0.0
 
1,806 0
Image of
Image of
Connie Gammon/Phil Collins (Independent)
 
0.0
 
1,475 0
Image of
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
J.R. Myers/Tiara Lusk (Life and Liberty)
 
0.0
 
1,372 0
Image of
Image of
Tom Hoefling/Andy Prior (Independent)
 
0.0
 
1,241 0
Image of
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
H. Brooke Paige/Thomas Witman (Grumpy Old Patriots)
 
0.0
 
1,175 0
Image of
Image of
Christopher Lafontaine/Michael Speed (Independent)
 
0.0
 
856 0
Image of
Kyle Kenley Kopitke (multiple running mates) (Independent)
 
0.0
 
815 0
Image of
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Ricki Sue King/Dayna Chandler (Genealogy Know Your Family History Party)
 
0.0
 
546 0
Image of
Image of
Princess Khadijah Maryam Jacob-Fambro/Khadijah Maryam Jacob Sr. (Independent)
 
0.0
 
497 0
Image of
Image of
Blake Huber/Frank Atwood (Approval Voting Party)
 
0.0
 
409 0
Image of
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Joseph Kishore/Norissa Santa Cruz (Socialist Equality Party)
 
0.0
 
317 0
Image of
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Richard Duncan/Mitch Bupp (Independent)
 
0.0
 
213 0
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Jordan Marc Scott/Jennifer Tepool (Independent)
 
0.0
 
175 0
Image of
Image of
Gary Swing/David Olszta (Boiling Frog)
 
0.0
 
141 0
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Keith McCormic/Sam Blasiak (Bull Moose)
 
0.0
 
126 0
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Zachary Scalf/Matthew Lyda (Independent)
 
0.0
 
29 0
  Other write-in votes
 
0.1
 
183,207 0

Incumbents are bolded and underlined The results have been certified.

Total votes: 158,402,026

0 states have not been called.



2018

See also: United States Senate election in West Virginia, 2018

General election

General election for U.S. Senate West Virginia

Incumbent Joe Manchin III defeated Patrick Morrisey and Rusty Hollen in the general election for U.S. Senate West Virginia on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Joe Manchin III
Joe Manchin III (D)
 
49.6
 
290,510
Image of Patrick Morrisey
Patrick Morrisey (R)
 
46.3
 
271,113
Image of Rusty Hollen
Rusty Hollen (L)
 
4.2
 
24,411

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 586,034
(100.00% precincts reporting)
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. Senate West Virginia

Incumbent Joe Manchin III defeated Paula Jean Swearengin in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate West Virginia on May 8, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Joe Manchin III
Joe Manchin III
 
69.9
 
112,658
Image of Paula Jean Swearengin
Paula Jean Swearengin
 
30.1
 
48,594

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.

Total votes: 161,252
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. Senate West Virginia

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate West Virginia on May 8, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Patrick Morrisey
Patrick Morrisey
 
34.9
 
48,007
Image of Evan Jenkins
Evan Jenkins
 
29.2
 
40,185
Image of Don Blankenship
Don Blankenship
 
20.0
 
27,478
Image of Tom Willis
Tom Willis
 
9.8
 
13,540
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Bo Copley
 
3.1
 
4,248
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Jack Newbrough
 
3.0
 
4,115

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.

Total votes: 137,573
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates


Campaign advertisements

"My Dad" - Blankenship campaign ad, released February 19, 2018
"My Enemies" - Blankenship campaign ad, released March 8, 2018


Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Don Blankenship did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Candidate Connection

Don Blankenship completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Blankenship's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Don Blankenship grew up in West Virginia in very humble beginnings, worked in the coal mines to pay for college, and eventually became CEO of Massey Energy spending almost 40 years in the coal and energy industries.

  • EQUALITY – We must remove all laws that discriminate, provide privilege or imply that all Americans are not equal.

  • ETHICS – We must return to a nation of laws.

  • EXACTNESS – Americans must be made aware that they cannot rely on the media for truthful information.

“Americans must stand up for right versus wrong, not Republican versus Democrat. If we follow my THIRD WAY we can get back to solving problems for ordinary Americans, instead of worrying if it makes the two major political parties and their corporate media sponsors happy.” – Don Blankenship
George Washington historical figure. RONALD REAGAN National figure. My Mom. Lived in Poverty, loneliness, shame, never stopped working. My Brother and Sister. Brother Hamburger Hill hero, Honest Tough Fearless Kind. Sister. Made everyone feel good about themselves even as she suffered multiple illnesses-cancer-heart surgery-diabetes-near blindness-organ removals etc. Married to same man, a coal miner for 60 years.

I follow the examples of all the above Washington, Reagan, Mom, Brother, Sister, but not nearly as well as they did.
We must return to a nation of laws. The laws on the books are not themselves the major issue. Illogical rulings by judges who refuse to follow legal statutes and never face oversight while sitting on the bench for lifetime appointments are a problem. We must hold Members of Congress to at least as strict compliance with the law as we do American businesses and businessmen. Conflicts of interest, improper behavior, and waste cannot be tolerated.
Cuban Missile crisis. 12 years old.
First job was working at family service station probably 8 years old. First non family summer job was was washing cars at a car dealership at 18. First non summer job was when I sat out a semester of school in college shoveled coal belts in a coal mine for 5 months. First post college job was working at Central Soya as a Cost Accountant in Chattanooga TN.
We must remove all laws that discriminate, provide privilege or imply that all Americans are not equal. Public figures must be allowed to openly discuss these problems if we are to fix them. Being concerned about the challenges of governing a diverse population and expressing ideas about the facts and what must be done to meet those challenges must be allowed to happen. Calling people who speak publicly about the diversity issues racists will not fix the problem.
We cannot survive as a country if we do not change the behavior of our government led by partisan Republicans and Democrats. We need a Third Way.
Ronald Reagan
Americans must be made aware that they cannot rely on the media for truthful information. The media is simply an extension of the two major political parties. Political parties are in partnership with corporate media empires that all seek to divide Americans with untruths. Corporations need to exert less control over American media organizations so that we have more access to truthful sources. Corporate support of Congress and their PACs hide the truth in America and what Congress does to harm average Americans.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2018

WVVA interview

Blankenship was interviewed by WVVA on December 5, 2017, following his campaign announcement. The bolded questions and Blankenship's responses follow below.

The first question is a simple one. Why are you running?

“ I'm running because I think I can make a difference. I don't think West Virginia has to be on the bottom of every list. I think I can make a very real difference in the way people have to live in West Virginia.[3] ”
—Don Blankenship[4]

Are you in it to win it?

“ We'll see. I have to see if I can get into the right position. I don't like to lose. That's why I call myself a competitionist on my website. But we'll see. It's hard to beat a lifetime politician. It's sad but the best liars usually win. I don't intend to lie to the public. Sometimes people don't like to hear the truth. But I think they're tired of hearing Manchin and Jenkins telling them what they're going to do but it never gets done.[3] ”
—Don Blankenship[4]

You're a wealthy man. You could retire and enjoy a nice life. Why public service?

“ I've been around West Virginia and lived in poverty, been in the working class, worked in the coal mines. I'm now wealthy, but I remember how it was. I know more than people in D.C. how hard is to not be able to afford a cheer leading outfit for your kid, pay for your ga,s and mortgage. And I'm fed up with people like Joe Manchin and Evan Jenkins promising something all the time and never doing anything.[3] ”
—Don Blankenship[4]

U.S. Senator Joe Manchin has suggested this is all part of a backroom deal with Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. What does he mean?

“ I have no idea. It's a disjointed comment as far as I can tell. Mitch McConnell and I haven't spoken in six or seven years and I don't agree with a lot of his positions. And certainly I've had no discussion with him on whether to run.[3] ”
—Don Blankenship[4]

There's been a lot of speculation in some of the Charleston papers as to whether you are even a West Virginia resident. Are you?

“ I'm a West Virginia resident. I've been a West Virginia resident most of my life. I consider myself a West Virginian. My heart is in West Virginia. I'm legally qualified to run in West Virginia, but I have homes also in other places. But I spend half my time here. [3] ”
—Don Blankenship[4]

Let's say you win...what's your first move in Washington?

“ Sit down with President Trump and others and make sure we know how we compare to other places in the world. We've got to quit arguing among ourselves. We've got to take care of the people in the United States. Trump understands that, whether it's the wall or illegal immigration or trade policy. But we have to move now if we have any chance of catching up.[3] ”
—Don Blankenship[4]

What is the biggest misconception you believe people make about you?

“ The biggest misconception is that I'm responsible or at fault for the explosion at UBB. I hadn't been in that mine for 10 or 15 years. The government had been in the mine everyday. They had cut the air in half. They lied about what happened after that. I'm trying to make sure open-minded people understand that. [3] ”
—Don Blankenship[4]

Campaign finance summary

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

Don Blankenship campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2024* U.S. Senate West VirginiaLost primary$175,303 $175,389
2020President of the United StatesLost general$83,880 $83,880
2018U.S. Senate West VirginiaLost primary$4,112,710 N/A**
Grand total$4,371,893 $259,269
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

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U.S. Senate West Virginia
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    Footnotes

    1. ↑ The Atlantic, "A Guilty Verdict in Don Blankenship's Trial," December 3, 2015
    2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Don Blankenship, "About Me," accessed April 1, 2018
    3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
    4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 WVVA, "Don Blankenship explains U.S. Senate run," December 5, 2017


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