SAIRA BLAIR IS NOT YOUR

ORDINARY STUDENT AND SHE

GRADUATED SUMMA CUM LAUDE AND

COULD SERVE AS THE YOUNGEST

PERSON IN WEST VIRGINIA'S

LEGISLATURE AND AT THE AGE OF

17

DEFEATED THE OPPONENT IN THE

PRIMARY.

TAKE US BACK AND WHERE DID

THIS IDEA ORIGINATED?

I GOT INVOLVED AT AGE SIX

WHEN MY FATHER WAS ELECTED AND

GOING TO MEETINGS BUT I NEVER

SAW THAT I WANTED TO GET

INVOLVED IN IT UNTIL I ATTENDED

A PROGRAM CALLED YOUTH IN

GOVERNMENT.

SHE REALIZED DESPITE HER

AGE

SHE DIDN'T HAVE TO WAIT TO

EARVE

SERVE.

I REALIZED I CAN USE THIS

OPPORTUNITY TO SHOW YOUNG

PEOPLE

THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO WAIT

UNTIL

30, 40, 50 TO UNDERSTAND

CONSERVATIVE PRINCIPLES AND

MOVING FORWARD IN THE DIRECTION

THAT WE'RE EXPECTED TO GO.

SO SARA GOT TO WORK BY

REACHING OUT TO THE VOTERS WITH

WRITTEN LETTERS. HER FRIENDS

HELPED OUT WITH PHONE CALLS AND

THIS COMES NATURALLY TO HER.

HER DAD IS A STATE SENATOR.

WHAT HAPPENED THERE?

WHEN I TOLD HIM HE WAS

SURPRISED AND SHOCKED. HE

DIDN'T UNDERSTAND THAT I HAD

BEEN I GUESS KNOW LISTENING IN

AND HE HAD BEEN MENTORING ME

FOR

YEARS.

IN ADDITION SHE BRINGS

ANOTHER IMPORTANT KEY TO THIS

EFFORT.

I DON'T THINK IF I HAD AS

STRONG A FAITH AS I DID I AM

DOING THIS FOR A GREATER

PURPOSE

AND HELP ALL YOUNG PEOPLE IN

THE

STATE OF WEST VIRGINIA.

IT HAS HELPED HER THROUGH

THE CAMPAIGN PROCESS BUT THIS

ISN'T THE ONLY ONE THAT KNOWS

JESUS.

MY FAITH IS IMPORTANT TO ME

AND IT HAS BEEN SINCE I WAS

SEVEN YEARS OLD AND I REMEMBER

THAT VERY CLEARLY.

AND THE DEMOCRAT SEES A LOT

OF POSITIVES COMING FROM THE

CONTEST OF THE TEENAGE OPPONENT.

IT CERTAINLY DOESN'T BOTHER

ME. I THINK GOD CAN USE

ANYBODY

REGARDLESS OF WHAT THEIR AGE IS

OR WHAT KIND OF EXPERIENCE THEY

HAVE. I THINK MY OVERALL

REACTION WAS POSITIVE BECAUSE I

THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO HAVE

YOUNG PEOPLE INVOLVED IN THE

POLITICAL PROCESS AND

REPRESENTING PEOPLE STATE WIDE

AND THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY

BECAUSE THE FUTURE DOES BELONG

TO OUR NEXT GENERATION.

THE FUTURE INCLUDES

IMPROVING THE ECONOMY AND THAT

MEANS JOBS.

IN THE STATE OF WEST

VIRGINIA A LOT OF KIDS GET

PUBLIC EDUCATION HERE AND WE

HAVE THE PROMISE SCHOLARSHIP

WHICH IS A $19,000 SCHOLARSHIP

FOR STUDENTS FOR SECONDARY

EDUCATION AND IT'S PAID FOR BY

THE STATE AND A LOT OF STUDENTS

USE THAT AND ONCE DONE WITH

HIGH

SCHOOL AND COLLEGE EDUCATION

THEY LEAVE THE STATE BECAUSE

THEY CAN'T FIND A GOOD PAYING

JOB.

I THINK JOBS ARE CRITICAL

TO THAT BUT NOT JUST ANY JOB.

WE NEED GOOD PAYING JOBS

BECAUSE

THAT'S WHAT THE BEST AND THE

BRIGHTEST ARE FILLING ARE GOOD

PAYING JOBS AND I THINK THE WAY

TO DO THAT IS WE NEED TO BE

ABLE

TO DIVERSIFY OUR INDUSTRY BASE

IN WEST VIRGINIA SO WE'RE NOT

JUST RELYING ON ONE OR TWO

INDUSTRIES.

WHILE THIS RACE WILL TOUCH

THE ISSUES IT'S DIFFERENT THAN

ANY OTHER IN THE COUNTRY.

I RECEIVED HUNDREDS OF

EMAILS FROM ACROSS THE WORLD

JUST YOUNG PEOPLE, PEOPLE IN

THEIR LATE 20'S AND IT'S JUST

AMAZING TO HEAR THEIR SUPPORT

AND HOW THEY'RE EXCITED TO BE

INVOLVED.

ALL BECAUSE A 17 YEAR OLD

WHO

BELIEVES IT'S NEVER TOO EARLY

TO

MAKE A DIFFERENCE. DAVID BRODY

IN WEST VIRGINIA.