Richard Ojeda in 2020 WV Senate race
On Drugs:
Supports medical marijuana, co-founded CBD oil company
Cannabis: Ojeda is an advocate for medical marijuana and it should be noted that he does have a
business interest with a CBD oil company as a co-founder.
Source: 2020 West Virginia Senate campaign website VoteOjeda.com
Jun 1, 2020
On Government Reform:
Move toward public financing for campaigns
It's no surprise that Mr. Ojeda has called lobbyists "the absolute scum of the earth" and proposed (humorously) that they wear body cameras any time they meet with legislators. He hopes to help overturn the
Supreme Court's decision that allows the wealthy to contribute unlimited amounts of money to political candidates and he hopes to move toward a system of public financing for election campaigns.
Source: The Pro-Gun Democrat on 2020 West Virginia Senate race
Jun 1, 2020
On Jobs:
Strongly against right to work laws
Labor rights: Ojeda was strongly against right to work laws, and was one of the influential members of unions.
Owing to his active participation in the union, he managed to receive donation of $121,440.
Source: 2020 West Virginia Senate campaign website VoteOjeda.com
Jun 1, 2020
On Principles & Values:
Democrats becoming more a party of elites
Ideological orientation: The man was identified as a traditional democrat who strongly took steps to maintain democracy.
He had a belief that democracy is drifting away and party is becoming more a party of elites.
Source: 2020 West Virginia Senate campaign website VoteOjeda.com
Jun 1, 2020
On Drugs:
An advocate for medical marijuana
Ojeda is an advocate for medical marijuana and it should be noted that he does
have a business interest with a CBD oil company as a co-founder.
Source: 2020 West Virginia Senate campaign website VoteOjeda.com
Mar 5, 2020
On Drugs:
Marijuana can be used for clinical, medical purposes
Marijuana is one of the most popular crop around the world. Use and sell of marijuana has been prohibited in many countries due to vast notions associated with Cannabis.
Marijuana can be used for clinical purposes as well as for medical purposes. The clinical use of marijuana entails prescribing the drug to patients of cancer or those who have undergone chemotherapy.
Source: 2020 West Virginia Senate campaign website VoteOjeda.com
Mar 5, 2020
On Jobs:
Against right to work laws, active union participant
Ojeda was strongly against right to work laws and was one of the influential members of unions.
Owing to his active participation in the union, he managed to receive donation of $121,440.
Source: 2020 West Virginia Senate campaign website VoteOjeda.com
Mar 5, 2020
On Jobs:
Ensure coal miners able to transition to "real jobs"
Ojeda, whose brief presidential campaign emphasized an economic populist message, wrote that as a senator he would ensure the coal miners
who make up much of the state's electorate would be able to transition to "real jobs" when coal companies "pull pitch and runs."
Source: The Hill e-zine on 2020 West Virginia Senate race
Jan 13, 2020
On Abortion:
Wholeheartedly support a woman's right to choose
On abortion: "I wholeheartedly support a woman's right to make her own decisions about her body. Full stop," he said. As president, Ojeda said, he would oppose any 20-week abortion ban or other such restrictions.
Ojeda also committed to nominating only judges who were similarly invested in protecting women's rights to make their own reproductive decisions, and vowed to oppose the Hyde Amendment.
"I'm also calling bullshit on the idea that opposing abortion makes you pro-life," he said in a statement. "If you just want to keep working class women from making their own decisions, you might be pro-birth but you're not pro-life.
I have always considered myself pro-life because I want to reduce the number of abortions by making birth control accessible, by quadrupling the funding for Planned Parenthood."
Source: The Intercept on 2020 West Virginia Senate race
Oct 17, 2019
On Government Reform:
Federal employees/appointees should donate excess assets
Ojeda has proposed having anyone elected to federal office or appointed to the Cabinet give up any assets over
$1 million in net worth to a charity of their choice. "A real charity," he wrote, "not some family foundation run by their kids."
Source: PublicIntegrity.org on 2020 West Virginia Senate race
Oct 17, 2019
On Government Reform:
Introduced bill: lobbyists should wear body cameras
As a state senator, Ojeda introduced a bill that would require lobbyists to buy
and wear body cameras while at the state Capitol, along with other restrictions.
Source: PublicIntegrity.org on 2020 West Virginia Senate race
Oct 17, 2019
On Gun Control:
Deaths and injuries every month from senseless gun violence
Ojeda tweeted that "75-100 folks (are) killed a month and over 200 wounded by senseless gun violence."
In fact, Ojeda understated the number of deaths and injuries from guns. His numbers are roughly right for gun deaths and injuries per day, rather than per month. We rate his statement Mostly False.
Source: PolitiFact fact-checking on 2020 West Virginia Senate race
Oct 17, 2019
On War & Peace:
Criticizes those wanting war with Iran: talk is easy
I see folks talking about Iran being a cake walk. Iraq took 9 years, thousands of lives and trillions of $$ and we are now back.
18 years in the "Stan" and we are still losing troops. Talk is easy....actually putting boots on the ground is a different story. #anotherforeverwar
Source: Twitter posting on 2020 West Virginia Senate race
May 14, 2019
On Energy & Oil:
Coal is going down; politicians need to stop lying
One thing I won't support is a plan that leaves our people behind. But coal is going down. Politicians need to stop lying to people.
I'm working on a plan to make sure every community in America can succeed. Not just the coasts.
Source: Twitter posting on 2020 West Virginia Senate race
Dec 9, 2018
On Abortion:
Opposing abortion makes you pro-birth, not pro-life
I wholeheartedly support a woman's right to make her own decisions about her body. I'm also calling bull on the idea that opposing abortion makes you pro-life. If you just want to keep working class women from making their own decisions, you might be
pro-birth but you're not pro-life. I want to reduce the number of abortions by making birth control accessible, quadrupling funding for Planned Parenthood, and making sure that those who start families have jobs and childcare.
Source: The Intercept on 2020 West Virginia Senate race
Nov 21, 2018
On Education:
Outspoken support for teachers during strike
Ojeda had blasted lawmakers about the 1% raise and introduced several other bills with the teachers in mind. One gave teachers a tax break for buying classroom supplies; another aimed to stabilize health care premiums for public employees; a third
gave public employees a $5,000 raise over three years. The bills never passed, but Ojeda did advocate for teachers during the strike, giving speeches outside the Capitol and on the Senate floor, and voted for the final bill that ended the strike.
Source: Vox.com on 2020 West Virginia Senate race
May 9, 2018
On Tax Reform:
Raise taxes on natural gas companies building pipelines
Ojeda hasn't been shy about wanting to raise taxes on corporations. He blasted former legislators for "giving away" the state to coal companies without getting anything in return for residents. He added that legislators needed to raise taxes on natural
gas companies putting pipelines throughout West Virginia. "There will be billions pulled from our state," he said. "If we allow that to go, and do not think of the citizens of West Virginia, then shame on all of us."
Source: Vox.com on 2020 West Virginia Senate race
May 9, 2018
On Immigration:
Taking benefits from illegal immigrants sounds good
When you hear about illegal aliens getting benefits and you have people here starving to death and can't get nothing, it's just a slap in the face. When you start talking about bringing in refugees and when they get here they get medical and dental and
they get set up with some funds--what do we get? So when people hear Donald Trump saying we're going to take benefits away from people who come here illegally and give them to people who work, that sounds pretty good.
Source: New Yorker magazine on 2020 West Virginia Senate race
Oct 3, 2016
Page last updated: Oct 24, 2020