On Tuesday, Americans voted in the midterm elections. Representatives at every level of government were elected, from local representatives, to governors, to senators. One of the people voted into power Tuesday was Saira Blair. Blair is now America’s youngest state lawmaker. She is a freshman at West Virginia University majoring in economics. She’s the same age as us.
At just 18 years old, Saira Blair is a now a representative to West Virginia’s House of Delegates from District 59. Blair is a Republican; she is fiscally conservative, pro-life, and pro-gun. Blair is particularly passionate about fiscal issues, saying to POLITICO, “I think what gets lost is the fiscal issues, and that’s really what I believe in. The biggest thing I want to see in West Virginia is jobs.”
Another political goal of Blair’s is to dispel the idea that Republicans are waging a “war on women” or that young people cannot be involved in politics. She believe Republicans are working for women and “The most [negativity] that I get for my age and for my gender is from the Democratic Party, not from my own” (Blair in McCalmont). Blair also portrayed her youth as a positive thing in her campaign, saying the voice of young people needed to be heard in West Virginia, and she would be their voice. Overall, Blair has taken stances on issues which matter to people in West Virginia and her district, and has shown she can bring a fresh perspective to the House of Delegates.
Blair had to win the Republican primary in West Virginia in order to get on the ballot; which she did at the age of 17 as a senior in high school. Blair defeated the incumbent in the primaries. She beat a 66 year old incumbent. Blair beat someone almost five decades older than her with prior experience in politics. It is very, very rare for incumbents to lose when they run for reelection. Blair also swept her district in the general election, winning 63% of the vote, compared to her Democratic challenger who got 30% of the vote. A third candidate won 7% of the vote. At 18 years old, while in school, Blair defeated an incumbent in the primary, then won over half of the vote in her district.
Blair has also shown she is totally invested in her campaign and new position in the state legislature. In order to balance being both a state representative and a full time student, Blair is going to defer her spring semester. She is going to take time off so she can attend assembly meetings in the state capitol and will make up the classes she is missing over the summer. Furthermore, Blair put $4000 of her own money into her campaign. Blair is going all in to be a representative, she is committed to this position.
This absolutely blows my mind. Saira Blair is my age. And she won. She beat an incumbent. She’s 18. I’ve seen how much work running for office and being a state representative is, it is a full time job. I cannot imagine trying run for and hold a political office while attending college. Also, I find it so remarkable that the people of the 59th district of West Virginia had enough faith in Blair to trust her to represent them to the state. She must have been very in touch with what the people of the district wanted, and articulated those beliefs in a convincing and coherent manner. Though I may not agree with Blair’s political views, what she has accomplished is amazing, and she deserves a ton of respect. I believe everyone can, and should, be involved in politics, as politics affect everyone. Regardless of age, gender, race, socioeconomic status, or anything else, politics affect you. Blair is an example of a young person demonstrating the value young people can have in politics, and showing we are not apathetic about government policy. Blair is also an inspiration for those who think age or gender disqualifies them from being active in the political sphere or in a particular party. Basically, I think Blair being elected is super inspirational and awesome. Do you think so? Do you think an 18 year old can be an effective representative? Any other thoughts?
Sources:
http://www.politico.com/story/2014/11/saira-blair-west-virginia-112602.html
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2014/11/04/west-virginia-elects-americas-youngest-state-lawmaker/
Wow, I did not see that coming at all. I did not think that someone that young could be in this position. It goes to show that you can do anything if you work hard and put your mind to it. I don’t think I would run for office, but I can now imagine people our age doing it more often now. Maybe you should run Hannah!
This reminds me of something that happened in my home county about ten years ago. The county seat of my home county, Mercer, had the youngest mayor in American history. He was 19 years old and a freshman at a nearby university. Class by morning, courthouse by afternoon. I’m to lazy to go downstairs and get food sometimes.
WOW that is crazy! I really admire her passion and determination for politics, especially at such a young age. I am surprised too that the people had enough faith in an 18-year-old to vote for her. I’m excited to see her impact in politics. I think she has a bright future ahead of her in her political career. Great blog!
SO have the pigs lifted off yet? I honestly have NEVER thought of running for office. Like, real government office (I also hate politics. too much collusion and garbage like that.)Good on her for doing what she believes in, but I also think this might be a bad thing. Sure she got into office, but what if other politicians see her as just a kid? Why would somebody who has been in office listen to this new, young person and take them seriously? Her intentions may be good, but the question is: will she be able to do anything?
That’s awesome that someone so young was inspired enough to even consider taking on a challenge like this! I’m not sure how long realistically she will be able to keep up with the demands of college life and responsibilities as a representative though. I think its great to get younger voices involved in politics, and have less lifetime politicians in the government