Saira Blair is an 18-year-old West Virginia University freshman majoring in economics. She’s also believed to be the youngest elected lawmaker in the United States.
At 17, Blair actually beat a 66-year-old Republican incumbent in a primary, and on Tuesday she beat a 44-year-old Attorney, Democrat Layne Diehl. She will represent a district of just under 20,000 people located in the West Virginia panhandle, close to Maryland, as one of 100 members of the Virginia House of Delegates.
Since Blair won, I’ve seen an interesting mix of reactions, ranging from impressed to disgusted. I want to address those, but first I feel the need to point out that I probably disagree with Blair on every fundamental issue. From what I’ve seen of her platform, she is extremely fiscally conservative, in favor of Voter ID laws, pro-life, pro-gun, and opposed to gay marriage. I don’t think I agree with her on anything, but that does not stop me from being proud and impressed by this young woman.
The idea of democracy is that we choose who best represents us. If I were a voter in Blair’s district, I probably wouldn’t have voted for her because she does not represent me. But it’s hard to fault those who did. She may be young and naive, I don’t know her. But I have a hard time buying that her age automatically disqualifies her from being representative of the people of her district.
She’s legally an adult. Barely, but she is. Which means that she could just as easily be at war, fighting for this nation. We have multiple members of Congress who are in their early thirties; the youngest woman ever elected to Congress, 30-year-old Congresswoman-elect Elise Stefanik, just won on Tuesday in upstate New York. I think it’s difficult to make a cut-off that prescribes how young is too young. Would I have been comfortable representing people at 18? No, probably not. But that’s not to say that there’s a magical day when everyone becomes mature enough to be in that kind of position.
She may be young, and who knows, she could be pretty naive. There’s also something to be said for the fact that her father is a State Senator and he’s probably had a strong influence on her.
Does that make her less qualified than someone old and cynical? God knows that our normal bevy of older, male politicians certainly have many faults. While I don’t agree with Blair’s perspective, it’s almost certainly going to be unique. And who’s to say that it won’t be representative of those who voted to elect her. I can’t imagine that she’s automatically under-qualified for office simply because of her age, when we consistently have elected officials who have affairs, are indicted for various kinds of fraud, and the like. With regard to the fact that she comes from a political family…well that’s not a particularly original criticism either. While she might not be the most qualified candidate, it’s her prerogative to run, and if the voters truly feel that she is a good representation of their beliefs, I don’t see how it’s any different than any other elected official.
I applaud Blair’s tenacity, and while I certainly would not have voted for her, that’s purely because of her politics. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, fewer than five percent of state legislators are under 30; and women in general make up just 24 percent of state legislators. If for no other reason than the fact that Blair has the opportunity to be an excellent role model, and proof that both women and young people have a rightful place being represented in our government, I applaud her.