Stakem To Represent W.Va. House Of Delegates District 5
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WHEELING - Democrat Karen Shuler Stakem will represent District 5 in the West Virginia House of Delegates starting in 2027.
Stakem defeated Republican Beth Hinebaugh in Tuesday's general election. She will succeed Delegate Shawn Fluharty, D-Ohio, who instead sought a state senate seat.
Election night vote totals showed Stakem receiving 2,861 votes; and Hinebaugh, 1,394.
And Stakem wasn't the only member of her family to win an election on Tuesday. Her sister, Charleston Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin, was re-elected to a third term.
"I would like to thank them (voters)," Stakem said. "I appreciated every moment of getting out to meet voters in the community.
"It has been great, and a very positive experience."
She said the community interaction she enjoyed is probably what led her to victory in the election.
"I think going door-to-door and meeting people and talking to them about the issues that matter to them (mattered)," Stakem continued.
During the campaign, she stressed the importance of economic development and education.
"Those are some of the things I would like to tackle once I get down there," she said.
Stakem also wanted to thank Hinebaugh.
"She ran a very good and a very positive campaign, and I appreciated it," Stakem said.
Stakem is the granddaughter of Thais Blatnik, a former member of both the House of Delegates and the West Virginia Senate.
She holds both an undergraduate and a master’s degree from West Virginia University in political science.
Stakem and her husband Eric have three grown children and operate the family's "Hole 'N Run" sports merchandise business in Wheeling. She works from home as a public affairs consultant. Much of her focus is helping municipal governments to obtain federal grants and working with nonprofits.
Stakem has served as president of the board for YWCA Wheeling, and she is a member of the Greater Wheeling Sports and Entertainment Authority. And although her children are no longer school students, Stakem remains a member of the Local School Improvement Council (LSIC) at Woodsdale Elementary School.