Saira Blair

Career

In November of 2014, she was elected to serve as Delegate in the 59th district of the West Virginia House of Delegates. In the May 2014 Republican primary, at the age of 17, she defeated two-term incumbent delegate Larry Kump by 54.5% to 45.5% in the 59th district, which encompasses portions of Berkeley County and Morgan County. In November 2014, she defeated Democratic Party nominee, Layne Diehl, also of Martinsburg, in the general election by 62.69% to 30.38%, making her the youngest elected legislator in the United States.

She was elected in the first election in which she was old enough to vote.

Blair identifies as fiscally conservative, "pro-marriage" and "pro-family", opposes the morning-after pill and abortion, even in the cases of rape and incest. During the 2016 legislative session, while speaking about a bill she sponsored that would allow concealed carry of firearms without a permit, Blair said she had received "multiple death threats" during her first year as a legislator.

In January 2016, Blair was named the chair of the Legislature"s Eastern Panhandle Caucus.

Achievements

• Her election was notable in that, being only 17, she was too young to vote in an election that she won.

Politics

Blair, who is studying finance at West Virginia University, has stated that she plans to enter into a career as a financial advisor and does not plan to continue a career in politics for the long term. Kump said that he was not surprised he lost, citing his independent voting record and the district"s desire for a delegate who would conform better to the party line.

Membership

She is a member of the Republican Party. Blair"s father is Craig Blair, a Republican member of the West Virginia Senate.