Former West Virginia coal executive Don Blankenship, who lost by a wide margin when he ran for a U.S. Senate seat as a Republican in 2018, filed paperwork Friday to run as a Democrat for the seat being vacated by Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin. Blankenship’s entrance into this year's race came a day before the deadline for political candidates to file for the May 14 primary. The state Democratic Party in the deeply red state immediately distanced itself from Blankenship, who has two primary challengers.