A West Virginia mining exec who was sentenced to a year behind bars for his role in an explosion that killed 29 miners is eyeing a career change — a seat in the US Senate.
Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship — who got out of the slammer in May — plans to run as a Republican and hopes to challenge incumbent Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, according to Charleston, West Virginia, TV station WCHS.
Blankenship — who was imprisoned in California after being convicted of conspiring to violate mine safety standards — filed his federal election official paperwork on Tuesday, the station reported.
The misdemeanor conviction came after a trial that followed the deadly Upper Big Branch explosion.
His initial appeal of the verdict was denied, and he is seeking a rehearing in a federal appeals court.
He has argued that the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration was to blame for the explosion after it cut back on ventilation the Massey Energy mine in Montcoal, West Virginia.
Blankenship has criticized Manchin in the past, but will face off in a GOP primary against Rep. Evan Jenkins and the Mountain State’s Attorney General Patrick Morrisey.