Saira Blair

Saira Blair
Member of the West Virginia House of Delegates
from the 59th district
In office
December 1, 2014 – December 1, 2018
Preceded byLarry Kump[1]
Succeeded byLarry Kump
Personal details
Born (1996-07-11) July 11, 1996 (age 28)
NationalityAmerican
Political partyRepublican
Parent(s)Craig Blair, Andrea Blair[2]
ResidenceMartinsburg, West Virginia
EducationWest Virginia University
Alma materHedgesville High School
OccupationPolitician
Websitehttps://sairablair.com/

Saira Blair (born July 11, 1996) is a former politician from Martinsburg, West Virginia, and was the youngest person elected to state or federal office in the United States upon her election in 2014 (until the election of Jacob Bachmeier at age 18 to the Montana House of Representatives in 2016).[3][4][5] In November 2014, aged 18, she was elected to the West Virginia House of Delegates, representing the 59th district, which is based in the Eastern Panhandle and encompasses portions of Berkeley County and Morgan County. She is a member of the Republican Party.

Blair, who studied economics and Spanish at West Virginia University,[6] deferred her spring semesters to attend the Legislature's 60-day spring session, making up her classes in the summer and fall.[7] She has stated that she plans to become a financial advisor and will not continue a career in politics after graduating,[8][9] serving at most eight years in the Legislature.[7] She has said that she has "no desire to climb the political ladder. Therefore, I don't see myself serving in any federal positions."[7] Blair's father is Craig Blair, a Republican member of the West Virginia Senate.[10] He served as her campaign manager.[8]

Blair announced in 2018 that she would not seek re-election to the House.[11] She was succeeded by Kump, who returned to office. After leaving office and completing her degree, Blair worked as a philanthropy and community engagement coordinator for Girls Inc. of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey until 2021, when W.Va. State treasurer Riley Moore appointed Blair as the new deputy treasurer for the Local Government Division of the state Treasurer's Office.[12][13] Blair held the position until May 2023.[citation needed]

  1. ^ Wilson, Reid (May 14, 2014). "This West Virginia 17-year old just beat an incumbent state delegate". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 29, 2015.
  2. ^ Greenblatt, Alan (May 15, 2014). "Meet The High School Student Who Took Down A State Lawmaker". NPR. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  3. ^ Fraser, Jayme (December 5, 2016). "New Montana lawmaker will be the youngest serving state legislator in America". Billings Gazette. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  4. ^ "'I'm Pro-Life, Pro-2nd Amendment': Teen Becomes Youngest Lawmaker". Fox News. November 5, 2014. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  5. ^ Maher, Kris (November 4, 2014). "West Virginia Elects America's Youngest State Lawmaker". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  6. ^ Rubin, Julia (November 5, 2014). "Meet Saira Blair, the 18-year-old Republican who won her first election before she could even vote". Teen Vogue. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  7. ^ a b c Eun Kyung Kim (November 7, 2014). "'I don't want it to be about my age,' says 18-year-old Saira Blair, nation's youngest state lawmaker". NBC News. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  8. ^ a b Ziv, Stav (November 5, 2014). "College freshman Saira Blair on becoming West Virginia's youngest lawmaker". Newsweek. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  9. ^ Zavadski, Katie (November 5, 2014). "Meet Saira Blair, West Virginia's Very Conservative New 18-Year-Old Lawmaker". New York. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference pbs was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Daniels, Emily (January 11, 2018). "Del. Saira Blair not to run in 2018". The Journal. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
  12. ^ "Saira Blair appointed to position with W.Va. Treasurer's Office". The Journal. July 6, 2021. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  13. ^ "Youngest-ever WVa lawmaker back in state government". AP News. July 7, 2021. Retrieved November 5, 2021.