Many politicians in Washington like to talk about the plight of the coal miner. But there aren't any coal miners in Congress. Bo Copley is looking to change that.
Copley made waves in the 2016 presidential campaign when, after being laid off, confronted Hillary Clinton at an invite-only roundtable for saying a few weeks earlier, "We're gonna put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business." He showed her a picture of his family and said, "how you can say you’re going to put a lot of coal miners out of, out of jobs, and then come in here and tell us how you’re going to be our friend? ... I want my family to know that they have a future here in this state."
Clinton apologetically responded that the statement was taken "totally out of context" and reiterated her $30 billion plan to help bring jobs to areas formerly dependent on coal. Copley was unmoved.
In what's billed as a "trailer" for the the video "The Campaign of Miner Bo," we get a behind the scenes look at Copley's announcement.
But first, we hear Copley describe his past work, over the sounds of country music and scenes of West Virginia countryside and coal deposits. "They closed the doors behind me, and let me know that we were having a layoff, and I was one of the people being laid off."
The video shifts to his confrontation of Clinton and the subsequent news coverage. He recounts that beforehand he prayed to God about the roundtable, and "I just felt like he kept saying, 'show her your children.'"
He then shares what happened afterwards, when people kept coming up to him and saying, "you didn't just speak for the coal industry, you spoke for us ... you should run for something."
We then see Copley prepare for this announcement. "Is it too late to back out?" he half-jokes. He dresses his son in a tie, and his wife puts lip gloss on his daughters.
He then delivers his announcement speech, and holding back tears, he says, "Sometimes, God has extraordinary plans for ordinary people."
Copley made waves in the 2016 presidential campaign when, after being laid off, confronted Hillary Clinton at an invite-only roundtable for saying a few weeks earlier, "We're gonna put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business." He showed her a picture of his family and said, "how you can say you’re going to put a lot of coal miners out of, out of jobs, and then come in here and tell us how you’re going to be our friend? ... I want my family to know that they have a future here in this state."
Clinton apologetically responded that the statement was taken "totally out of context" and reiterated her $30 billion plan to help bring jobs to areas formerly dependent on coal. Copley was unmoved.
Bo Copley In Spotlight After Confronting Clinton
Now Copley has begun running for the Senate, in the West Virginian Republican primary, highlighting his humble roots.In what's billed as a "trailer" for the the video "The Campaign of Miner Bo," we get a behind the scenes look at Copley's announcement.
But first, we hear Copley describe his past work, over the sounds of country music and scenes of West Virginia countryside and coal deposits. "They closed the doors behind me, and let me know that we were having a layoff, and I was one of the people being laid off."
The video shifts to his confrontation of Clinton and the subsequent news coverage. He recounts that beforehand he prayed to God about the roundtable, and "I just felt like he kept saying, 'show her your children.'"
He then shares what happened afterwards, when people kept coming up to him and saying, "you didn't just speak for the coal industry, you spoke for us ... you should run for something."
Bo Copley Cites Inspiration From God
Copley trades on his hard luck: "how many people in this state have stood in an unemployment line in the last eight years? I know that feeling because I've done it. Anyone else that runs in the race has never done that."We then see Copley prepare for this announcement. "Is it too late to back out?" he half-jokes. He dresses his son in a tie, and his wife puts lip gloss on his daughters.
He then delivers his announcement speech, and holding back tears, he says, "Sometimes, God has extraordinary plans for ordinary people."