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Paula Jean Swearengin

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Paula Jean Swearengin
File:Portrait of Paula Jean Swearengin.png
Personal details
Born1973 or 1974 (age 50–51)[1]
Mullens, West Virginia, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Children4

Paula Jean Swearengin (born 1973/74) is an American activist and the 2020 Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in West Virginia.[2] She previously ran for the same position against incumbent U.S. Senator Joe Manchin in the 2018 Democratic primary but was defeated, winning 30.21% of the vote.[3] She is associated with the progressive organizations Justice Democrats and Brand New Congress.

Early life

Swearengin was born in Mullens, West Virginia to a family of coal miners, and raised in Yadkin County, North Carolina.[4]

Career

She is a former board member and representative of the Keepers of the Mountain Foundation, a West Virginia organization that opposed mountaintop removal mining.[5][6] Swearengin has also spoken on behalf of the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition and the Sierra Club at public fora and events, including EPA hearings on the Clean Power Plan.[7][8] She supported Bernie Sanders's 2016 presidential campaign.[9]

In May 2017, Swearengin announced her candidacy against Manchin in the 2018 United States Senate election in West Virginia. She was one of the first candidates Brand New Congress supported.[10][11] In May 2017, the Charleston Gazette-Mail noted that several other candidates had received financial contributions but that Swearengin had no immediately apparent ties to the coal industry.[12]

Swearengin supports a Medicare for All healthcare plan. She favors legalization of both medical and recreational cannabis.[9] She supports raising the minimum wage to $15 and implementing free public college tuition.[13]

In January 2019, the documentary Knock Down the House premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival.[14] The film focuses on the primary campaigns of Swearengin, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Amy Vilela, and Cori Bush, four progressive Democrats who ran for Congress in the 2018 midterm elections. The film was released by Netflix on May 1, 2019.[15]

In June 2019, Swearengin announced her bid for one of West Virginia's United States Senate seats against Republican incumbent Shelley Moore Capito, who has held the seat since 2015.[16] Capito faced two Republican primary challengers, Larry Butcher and Allen Whitt, while Swearengin was up against two Democrats on the June 9 primary, Richie Robb and Richard Ojeda. There is one unaffiliated candidate in the race, Franklin Riley.[17] Swearengin won her primary, capturing 38 percent of the vote ahead of Ojeda on 33 percent and Robb on 29 percent.[18]

Swearengin joined her three other Knock Down the House co-stars in endorsing Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders for the Democratic nomination for president in the 2020 election cycle.[19]

Electoral history

United States Senate election in West Virginia Democratic primary, 2018[20]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Joe Manchin (incumbent) 111,589 69.8%
Democratic Paula Jean Swearengin 48,302 30.2%
Total votes 159,891 100.0%
United States Senate election in West Virginia Democratic primary, 2020[21]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Paula Jean Swearengin 68,888 37.98%
Democratic Richard N. Ojeda II 59,826 32.98%
Democratic Richie Robb 52,683 29.04%
Total votes 181,397 100.00%

Personal life

Swearengin is a single mother of four children and lives in Coal City, West Virginia.[4] She lost one of her grandparents and several uncles to black lung disease.[22]

References

  1. ^ Kamisar, Ben (June 20, 2017). "Manchin faces primary challenge from the left". The Hill. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  2. ^ "Paula Jean Swearengin wins Democratic Senate primary in West Virginia". June 9, 2020. Retrieved June 10, 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ "UPDATE: Manchin wins U.S. Senate primary for Democrats". WDTV. May 8, 2018. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  4. ^ a b "Revolt in West Virginia's Coal Country". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
  5. ^ "Meet Us". Keepers of the Mountain Foundation.
  6. ^ "Our Speakers". Keepers of the Mountain Foundation.
  7. ^ "Grassroots Groups Team Up, Head to EPA Carbon Hearings". Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition. July 27, 2014.
  8. ^ Dixon, Mark (August 4, 2014). "EPA Hearing Climate Rally Highlight: Paula Swearingen". YouTube.
  9. ^ a b Holdren, Wendy (May 7, 2018). "Who is Paula Jean Swearengin?". The Montgomery Herald. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  10. ^ Foran, Clare (May 9, 2017). "West Virginia's Conservative Democrat Gets a Primary Challenger". The Atlantic.
  11. ^ Brown, Dylan (May 10, 2017). "Coal miner's daughter challenging Manchin". E&E News.
  12. ^ Zuckerman, Jake (May 17, 2017). "Energy industry fills Senate candidates' coffers in WV". Charleston Gazette-Mail.
  13. ^ Pace, Fred (April 29, 2018). "Manchin, Swearengin face off in Democrat primary for US Senate". Williamson Daily News. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  14. ^ Ryan, Patrick (January 28, 2019). "Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez surprises at Sundance premiere of her emotional new documentary". USA Today. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
  15. ^ Wilkinson, Alissa (April 22, 2019). "Watch: Netflix's Knock Down the House trailer is here to make politics feel a little more hopeful". Vox. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
  16. ^ Mistich, Dave (August 8, 2019). "Democrat Swearengin Announces Renewed Bid for U.S. Senate in 2020". West Virginia Public Broadcasting. Retrieved May 16, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  17. ^ "United States Senate Election in West Virginia 2020". Ballotpedia. Retrieved May 16, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  18. ^ "AP: Swearengin declared winner of Democratic U.S. Senate race in W.Va". WCHS-TV. June 10, 2020. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  19. ^ Kilkenny, Katie (June 29, 2019). "'Knock Down the House' Stars Endorse Bernie Sanders' Campaign". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 16, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  20. ^ "West Virginia Primary Election Results". The New York Times. May 9, 2018.
  21. ^ "West Virginia State Primary Election Unofficial Results". Clarity Elections: Election Night Reporting. West Virginia Secretary of State. June 10, 2020. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  22. ^ Jean, Paula. "Paula Jean". Brand New Congress. Archived from the original on June 3, 2017. Retrieved June 16, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
Party political offices
Preceded by Democratic nominee for U.S. Senator from West Virginia
(Class 2)
2020 		Most recent
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