Mike Folk | |
---|---|
Member of the West Virginia House of Delegates from the 63rd district | |
In office January 12, 2013 – January 9, 2019 | |
Preceded by | District established |
Succeeded by | John Hardy |
Personal details | |
Born | Michael Craig Folk Martinsburg, West Virginia, U.S. |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse | Stella Folk |
Education | Shepherd University (BS) West Virginia University (MBA) |
Website | Campaign website |
Michael Craig Folk[1] (born in Martinsburg, West Virginia) is an American politician from West Virginia. A Republican, he was formerly a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates, representing District 63.[2]
Education
[edit]Folk is a graduate of Hedgesville High School. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in economics from Shepherd College (now Shepherd University) and his master of business administration from West Virginia University.[3]
Elections
[edit]- 2012: Folk ran in the May 8, 2012, Republican primary and won by 17 votes with 485 votes (51.4%),[4] and won the November 6, 2012 general election with 3,096 votes (51.2%) against Democratic nominee Donn Marshall,[5] who had run for a seat in 2010.
- 2014: Folk won re-election to the 63rd District, defeating Heather Marshall — wife of his 2012 opponent[6] — by receiving 60.99% of the vote.[7]
- 2016: Folk won a third term in the House by defeating Democratic challenger Kenneth Lemaster, receiving 58.5% of the vote.[8]
- 2018: Folk sought election to the West Virginia Senate in the 16th district, but was defeated by incumbent John Unger.[9]
Candidacy for Governor
[edit]On February 5, 2019, Folk announced he would challenge West Virginia Governor Jim Justice in the state's 2020 primary elections.[3]
Controversy
[edit]On July 15, 2016, Folk tweeted that Hillary Clinton should be "hung on the Mall in Washington, DC" in response to her email controversy.[10][11][12] He later stated that he regretted the comment, but reiterated his belief that Clinton should be tried for treason.[13] Two days later, Folk was suspended from his job as a pilot for United Airlines over the comment.[14][15]
References
[edit]- ^ "Michael Folk's Biography". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
- ^ "Michael Folk". Charleston, West Virginia: West Virginia Legislature. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
- ^ a b Breanna Francis (February 6, 2019). "Folk announces run for governor's seat". The Journal. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
- ^ "Statewide Results Primary Election May 8, 2012 Official Results". Charleston, West Virginia: Secretary of State of West Virginia. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
- ^ "Statewide Results General Election November 6, 2012 Official Results". Charleston, West Virginia: Secretary of State of West Virginia. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
- ^ John McVey (April 24, 2014). "Heather Marshall named to replace husband in state delegate race". The Journal. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
- ^ Chelsea DeMello (November 5, 2014). "Folk holds off Marshall". The Journal. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
- ^ Matt Dellinger (November 9, 2016). "Folk wins re-election in 63rd district". The Journal. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
- ^ Matthew Umstead (November 7, 2018). "Unger edges Folk in 16th District senate race". The Herald-Mail. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
- ^ Emily Daniels (July 16, 2016). "Folk tweet saying Clinton should be hanged draws criticism". The Journal. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
- ^ "W.Va. lawmaker: Hillary Clinton should be "hung" on National Mall". CBS News. July 16, 2016. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
- ^ Lori Kersey (July 16, 2016). "WV delegate calls for Clinton to be executed". Charleston Gazette-Mail. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
- ^ Eugene Scott (July 16, 2016). "GOP lawmaker regrets calling for Clinton to be hanged". CNN. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
- ^ "United says it removes Folk from flying during investigation into comment". The Journal. July 17, 2016. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
- ^ "UPDATE: United Airways Suspends Delegate Over Violent Tweet". WOWK-TV. July 17, 2016. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
External links
[edit]- Official page at the West Virginia Legislature
- Campaign site
- [1] Profile on Project VoteSmart
- Michael Folk at Ballotpedia
- Michael (Mike) Folk at the National Institute on Money in State Politics