ASHEBORO, NC — Former West Virginia State Senator Richard Ojeda has officially launched his campaign for North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District, aiming to unseat Republican incumbent Richard Hudson. Ojeda, a Democrat, previously served in the West Virginia State Senate from 2016 to 2019. Now, he has picked up his carpet, bag, and moved to North Carolina to further his political career.
Ojeda, who is from Logan County, West Virginia, has a history of challenging political norms and advocating for far-left policies. His bid for the North Carolina seat comes after several high-profile, but ultimately unsuccessful, campaigns in West Virginia.
In 2018, Ojeda ran for Congress in West Virginia’s 3rd Congressional District, securing the Democratic nomination but losing to Republican Congresswoman Carol Miller by a margin of 56% to 44%. Undeterred by the loss, Ojeda pursued the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination before withdrawing early due to insufficient funding. Then, the same year, he launched an unsuccessful campaign for the U.S. Senate but was unable to secure the Democrat nomination, further cementing his status as a failed political figure in West Virginia.
Now a resident of North Carolina, Ojeda is targeting the 9th Congressional District, which has been represented by Hudson since 2022. The district spans south-central North Carolina, covering all of Alamance, Hoke, Moore, and Randolph counties, as well as parts of Chatham, Cumberland, and Guilford counties, including most of Fayetteville and a section of Greensboro.
Ojeda gained national attention in 2018 for his vocal support of West Virginia educators during the state’s teacher strike, positioning himself as a champion for labor rights and education. Ojeda allied himself with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), though this initial momentum was short-lived. His reputation as a Democrat who claimed to have voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election also attracted considerable media attention, furthering his image as a politician willing to cross party lines when necessary. However, after Ojeda was interviewed by Michael Moore, a Marxist documentary film-maker, his popularity quickly dwindled among moderates. This was for Moore’s 2018 film FAHRENHEIT 11/9.
As he prepares to take on Hudson in the 2024 election cycle, Ojeda is focusing on issues such as healthcare, economic inequality, and education reform, hoping to make an impact in a district that has been a Republican stronghold in recent years.
