Mike Folk
Member of the West Virginia House of Delegates
from the 63rd district
In office
January 12, 2013  January 9, 2019
Preceded byDistrict established
Succeeded byJohn Hardy
Personal details
Born
Michael Craig Folk

Martinsburg, West Virginia, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseStella Folk
EducationShepherd University (BS)
West Virginia University (MBA)
WebsiteCampaign 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

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

  • 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

On February 5, 2019, Folk announced he would challenge West Virginia Governor Jim Justice in the state's 2020 primary elections.[3]

Controversy

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

  1. "Michael Folk's Biography". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
  2. "Michael Folk". Charleston, West Virginia: West Virginia Legislature. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
  3. 1 2 Breanna Francis (February 6, 2019). "Folk announces run for governor's seat". The Journal. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  4. "Statewide Results Primary Election May 8, 2012 Official Results". Charleston, West Virginia: Secretary of State of West Virginia. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
  5. "Statewide Results General Election November 6, 2012 Official Results". Charleston, West Virginia: Secretary of State of West Virginia. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
  6. John McVey (April 24, 2014). "Heather Marshall named to replace husband in state delegate race". The Journal. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  7. Chelsea DeMello (November 5, 2014). "Folk holds off Marshall". The Journal. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  8. Matt Dellinger (November 9, 2016). "Folk wins re-election in 63rd district". The Journal. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
  9. Matthew Umstead (November 7, 2018). "Unger edges Folk in 16th District senate race". The Herald-Mail. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  10. Emily Daniels (July 16, 2016). "Folk tweet saying Clinton should be hanged draws criticism". The Journal. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
  11. "W.Va. lawmaker: Hillary Clinton should be "hung" on National Mall". CBS News. July 16, 2016. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
  12. Lori Kersey (July 16, 2016). "WV delegate calls for Clinton to be executed". Charleston Gazette-Mail. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
  13. Eugene Scott (July 16, 2016). "GOP lawmaker regrets calling for Clinton to be hanged". CNN. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
  14. "United says it removes Folk from flying during investigation into comment". The Journal. July 17, 2016. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  15. "UPDATE: United Airways Suspends Delegate Over Violent Tweet". WOWK-TV. July 17, 2016. Retrieved February 6, 2019.


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