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Article snippet: The Republicans’ Senate headache in West Virginia isn’t over, even as the party tries to pivot to defeating Democratic Sen. MORE in November. Former coal CEO and ex-convict Don Blankenship, who lost the GOP primary earlier in May, said Monday that he would run instead as a third-party candidate. If he goes through with the bid, Blankenship could become a spoiler in a high-stakes battle that could determine which party controls the Senate. It’s unclear if Blankenship will ultimately make it on the ballot. But his third-party push has reignited a bitter battle between the former coal baron and national Republicans, who believe that Manchin is vulnerable after MORE won the state by more than 40 points in 2016. “The political establishment is determined to keep me — the most anti-establishment candidate in the nation — out of the United States Senate,” he said in a statement announcing his plans. “The press and the establishment have colluded and lied to convince the public that I am a moron, a bigot, and a felon. They even went so far as to lie about my chances against Senator Joe Manchin in the general election,” Blankenship added. Blankenship, who spent roughly a year in prison for conspiring to violate mine safety standards after 29 miners were killed in an explosion at a mine his company operated, said on Monday that he accepted the Constitution Party’s nomination for the Senate seat. Republicans are panning Blankenship’s announcement as unrealistic, argu... Link to the full article to read more