Richard Neece Ojeda II

Richard Neece Ojeda II is the Democratic nominee for the U.S. House of Representatives in North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District in the 2026 election. To serve in the House a candidate must be at least 25 years old, have been a U.S. citizen for at least seven years, and reside in the state they wish to represent ¹. Ojeda meets all of those constitutional requirements and is seeking to succeed incumbent Republican Rep. Richard Hudson.

Ojeda was born on September 25, 1970 in Rochester, Minnesota and raised in Logan County, West Virginia, where he graduated from Logan High School in 1988 ¹²⁰. He earned a bachelor’s degree in General Education from West Virginia State University in 1997 and an MBA in Business and Organizational Security from Webster University ¹¹²⁰. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1989, served 24 years, and retired as a Major in 2013 after two tours in Iraq, a deployment to Afghanistan, and numerous other overseas assignments, earning two Bronze Star Medals ¹¹¹¹⁸. After leaving the military he taught Junior ROTC at Chapmanville Regional High School from 2013 to 2017 ¹¹²⁰.

In 2016 Ojeda was elected to the West Virginia State Senate representing District 7, serving until January 10, 2019 ¹¹⁹. While in the Senate he championed medical‑cannabis legislation, supported the historic 2018 West Virginia teachers’ strike, and positioned himself as a pro‑labor, pro‑veteran voice ¹⁸²⁰. He ran for the U.S. House in West Virginia’s 3rd District in 2018, losing to Republican Carol Miller ⁷⁸¹⁸. In November 2018 he announced a bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, becoming the second sitting office‑holder to do so, but suspended the campaign in January 2019 ⁵¹⁸. He later sought the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate in West Virginia in 2020, losing the primary to Paula Jean Swearengin ¹¹²⁰.

After those statewide campaigns Ojeda relocated to North Carolina, where he filed to run for Congress in the 9th District. He won the Democratic primary on March 3, 2026 with 41.8 % of the vote (18,437 votes) against three opponents ¹². The general election is set for November 3, 2026, where he will face incumbent Rep. Richard Hudson (R) and Independent Tita Hunter‑Herod ¹²⁶.

Ojeda’s current campaign emphasizes “Veterans, Education, Working Families, and North Carolina’s future.” The campaign website lists priorities such as improving VA care and mental‑health services for veterans, raising teacher pay and reducing student‑debt, protecting Medicare and Medicaid, expanding Social Security benefits, and investing in agriculture and skilled‑trade jobs ¹³¹⁵. He stresses a grassroots, small‑donor approach and claims to have taken no corporate PAC money ¹³¹⁵. The platform reflects his long‑standing focus on labor rights, veterans’ issues, and rural economic development, themes that have defined his public service from the Army to the state senate.

Overall, Ojeda brings a blend of military leadership, legislative experience, and a history of populist campaigning to a race that could be competitive in a district that has swung between parties in recent cycles. Voters will be evaluating his record on labor, cannabis legalization, and veteran advocacy alongside his recent relocation to North Carolina and his ability to connect with district‑specific concerns.

Sources