Don Blankenship

Don Blankenship
Blankenship in 2010
Born	Donald Leon Blankenship (1950-03-14) March 14, 1950 (age 74) Stopover, Kentucky, U.S.
Education	Marshall University (BS)
Known for	Former CEO of Massey Energy Upper Big Branch Mine disaster 2018 West Virginia Republican primary Senate candidate, 2020 Constitution Party Presidential Candidate, and 2024 West Virginia Democratic Senate Candidate
Political party	Democratic Party (2024-present) Constitution Party (2020-2024) Republican (until 2020)
Criminal charge(s)	Conspiracy to violate mine safety and health standards
Criminal penalty	1 year in federal prison $250,000 fine
Children	2
Website	Official website

Donald Leon Blankenship (born March 14, 1950) is an American former business executive, convicted criminal and former candidate for the United States Senate in West Virginia in 2018. He was Chairman and CEO of the Massey Energy Company—the sixth largest coal company (by 2008 production) in the United States^[1]—from 2000 until his retirement in 2010.^[2]

A federal grand jury indicted Blankenship on November 13, 2014 for conspiracy to violate mandatory federal mine safety and health standards and conspiracy to impede federal mine safety officials.

Blankenship entered the Republican primary in the 2018 United States Senate election in West Virginia, challenging incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Joe Manchin.^[3] He was the front-runner of the election in the months before the election.^[4] President Donald Trump and United States Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell did not support Blakenship.^[5] He lost the Republican primary in May 8, 2018.

On October 20, 2019, Blankenship announced his candidacy for President of the United States in the 2020 election for the Constitution Party nomination.^[6]

References

1. "Major U.S. Coal Producers". Energy Information Administration. September 18, 2009. Retrieved April 7, 2010.
2. T Allen, "Investors Tout Their Role in Massey's Leadership Change Archived February 8, 2011, at the Wayback Machine" (December 7, 2010) Riskmetrics
3. "Coal Country Divides Over an Unrepentant Boss's Senate Bid". New York Times. February 26, 2018. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
4. "Blankenship surging on eve of West Virginia Senate primary". POLITICO. Retrieved 2018-05-07.
5. "Trump Weighs In on West Virginia Senate Race in Sign of Republican Anxiety". The New York Times. 2018-05-07. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
6. "Don Blankenship declares for Constitution Party presidential nomination". ballot-access.org. October 20, 2019.

Other websites

• Vote on Blankenship, Official 2018 US Senate campaign website Archived 2018-05-08 at the Wayback Machine