17-Year-Old Saira Blair Defeats Incumbent West Virginia Delegate

Saira Blair may not be old enough to vote, but the 17-year-old high school senior from Martinsburg, West Virginia, has already unseated an incumbent state lawmaker.

Blair ousted state Del. Larry Kump (R) Tuesday by an 872-728 vote margin in the Republican primary. Her father, Craig Blair, is a West Virginia state senator.

“I don’t have as many biases because I am younger and so I’m more capable of taking the views of the people directly from the district to Charleston,” Blair told the Martinsburg Herald-Mail.

“I think I’m fully capable of doing the job, and I don't think it's rocket science by any means -- not if you just listen to the people," she added.

In her campaign flier, Blair characterized herself as a "fiscal conservative" who is "pro-life," "pro-family," "pro-marriage" and "pro-jobs."

Blair, who has already spent $4,800 on her campaign, will start classes at West Virginia University this fall. She will face Democratic candidate Layne Diehl in November.