Former coal Baron don Blankenship made national headlines for his conviction in the conspiracy to violate the standards of mine safety and health in connection with the upper big branch mine that left 29 dead. He is now positioning itself in three to draw with Congressman Evan Jenkins and state attorney General Patrick Morrissey.
Amid fears of possible political bloodbath if Blankenship wins and is running on the GOP side of the ticket, Democrat Senator Joe Manchin in November of this year, “the grief of the family “pack”,” super PAC with ties to the Washington, D.C., is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars in advertising against the former coal company Executive.
“There’s not enough toxic sludge in Washington?” the super PAC ad says, after connecting businesses Blankenship for polluted water.
On Monday, Blankenship has fallen back on advertising in a press release, comparing the majority leader in the Senate Mitch McConnell, that the Russians interfered in the elections.
“The Russians and McConnell needs to stop interfering in the elections outside of their jurisdictions,” Blankenship said in a statement. “McConnell should not be in the U.S. Senate, let alone be the leader of the Republican majority. Captain marsh”.
“Never trump the movement turned into a never Blankenship movement,” the statement said.
McConnell, from the neighboring Appalachian mountains of Kentucky, gave to understand that he is not a fan of the candidacy of Blankenship. Earlier this year he said he wants to see Blankenship to win the GOP primary. But the national party and even the opponents Blankenship until recently danced around immediately after the former coal Baron.
Meanwhile, Blankenship, a millionaire, have poured their money into funding for advertising throughout the state that demonstrate him as a “political prisoner”, and to defend his Association with a major mining disaster in 40 years. The ads attack, he also took on Morrissey for his WASHINGTON lobbyist and past Jenkins as a former Democrat. Both candidates of the major national Republicans will be comfortable backing — President trump was still sandwiched between the two in its last tax round table in White sulphur springs, West Virginia.
“People have been burned on bad candidates nominated and people don’t want to see the same errors [in West Virginia],” a national Republican strategist told ABC news. “We see West Virginia as a very good pick up opportunity — ratings Democrat falls from trump and Pence came out against him.”
Blankenship, who flies back and forth between his primary residence outside of Las Vegas, campaign, Nevada and West Virginia stops around the state, claims that he was the one to defeat the Democrat in November.
“I think almost everyone can defeat the Democrat, but I’ll be the one to beat him,” Blankenship told ABC News in a recent interview.
In the state where trump won as many as 42 points against Clinton Blankenship draws a lot of comparisons trump. He calls the media’s “fake news” shamelessly flaunts his wealth, and says that he wants to turn Washington upside down.
But for many in the state, memories of the upper Big branch Explosion still raw, and the name of Blankenship are forever linked.
When asked what he wanted to say to people who feel he is responsible, Blankenship talked about the importance of safety in the mines, but then added: “most of what I said about the explosion, in particular the media, is untrue, and what was said by the government not true.”
Blankenship drew himself a victim of the administration-led Obama in a conspiracy against him, in an attempt to rehabilitate his reputation in the upper branch.
In a statement, Blankenship pushed back against comparisons with the controversial figure of Roy Moore, who knocked the national Republican party-endorsed candidate, Luther strange, but then lost to Democrat Doug Jones after Moore was accused of sexual harassment.
“The media, McConnell and others like to spread rumors that my candidacy is akin to what Roy Moore. This is nonsense,” said Blankenship in a statement. “Roy Moore’s accusers were women and adolescent girls. Accusing me of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. I was imprisoned for a misdemeanor based on false charges and political persecution”.
Sourse: abcnews.go.com
