Michael Folk
American politician from West Virginia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Michael Craig Folk[1] (born in Martinsburg, West Virginia) is an American politician. A Republican, he was formerly a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates, representing District 63.[2]
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 |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | Stella Folk |
| Education | Shepherd University (BS) West Virginia University (MBA) |
| Website | Campaign website |
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 West Virginia's 16th Senate 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]
