page_title: Don Blankenship
hierarchical_section_title: Don Blankenship
caption_attribution_description: English: Don Blankenship Picture
context_page_description: Donald Leon Blankenship 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 in the United States—from 2000 until his retirement in 2010.
  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. He was the front-runner of the election in the months before the election. President Donald Trump and United States Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell did not support Blakenship. 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.
context_section_description: 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—from 2000 until his retirement in 2010. 
  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. He was the front-runner of the election in the months before the election. President Donald Trump and United States Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell did not support Blakenship. 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.
caption: Blankenship in 2010
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