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Fiery West Virginia paratrooper Ojeda drops out of 2020 race
WASHINGTON, Jan 26, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Several political heavyweights have
yet to enter the 2020 presidential race, but the expansive Democratic field
hoping to challenge Donald Trump shrank by one on Friday, as charismatic
military veteran Richard Ojeda ended his long-shot White House bid.
The blunt-talking, tattooed former paratrooper and state lawmaker from
West Virginia voted for Trump in 2016 but soured on him quickly, and launched
a fiercely pro-labor presidential campaign seeking to return the Democratic
Party to its roots as a champion of working-class Americans.
But in a post on his Facebook page, the 48-year-old Ojeda acknowledged
that while he received “overwhelming” grassroots support, he did not have
sufficient finances or backing from the political establishment to stay in
the race for the long term.
“The last thing I want to do is accept money from people who are
struggling for a campaign that does not have the ability to compete,” he
said.
Ojeda rose to prominence last year when he aligned with thousands of West
Virginia teachers striking for better working conditions, and for his
passionate battle to help end the opioid crisis ravaging many American
communities.
BSS/AFP/SSS/0827 hrs