Melanie Stambaugh

{{Short description|American politician (born 1990)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = | name = Melanie Stambaugh | honorific_suffix = | image = Tacoma First Night 2016 - Melanie Stambaugh - cropped.jpg | state_house = Washington | district = 25th | term_start = January 12, 2015 | term_end = January 14, 2019 | preceded = Dawn Morrell | succeeded = Kelly Chambers | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1990|09|25}} | birth_place = Puyallup, Washington<ref>{{cite web|url=https://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/2017-18/Pdf/Bills/House%20Resolutions/4688-.pdf|title=House Resolution No. 2018-4688|work=Washington House of Representatives|year=2018|access-date=2021-12-24}}</ref> | party = Republican | alma_mater = University of Washington (BA)<br>Pepperdine Graziadio Business School (MBA) | profession = | spouse = | website = [http://houserepublicans.wa.gov/melanie-stambaugh/ Legislative website] }} '''Melanie A. Stambaugh''' (born September 25, 1990) is an American businesswoman and politician of the Republican party. At 24 years old, she became the youngest woman elected to the Washington State Legislature since 1936, when she defeated Democratic Representative Dawn Morrell for a seat in the Washington House of Representatives in 2014. She gave the Washington State Republican Party one of gains in the House in the 2014 election.<ref name="daffodil">{{cite news|date=November 11, 2014|title=24-Year-Old Republican Baffles Democrats, Heads to the State House|agency=Seattle Weekly|url=http://www.seattleweekly.com/home/955296-129/24-year-old-makes-history-has-washington-house|url-status=dead|accessdate=February 10, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150803121423/http://www.seattleweekly.com/home/955296-129/24-year-old-makes-history-has-washington-house|archive-date=August 3, 2015}}</ref> She was the youngest member of the legislative chamber upon being sworn in.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.columbian.com/news/2014/nov/18/24-year-old-taking-seat-in-washington-state-house/|agency=The Columbian|title=24-year-old taking seat in Washington state House|date=November 18, 2014|accessdate=February 10, 2015}}</ref>

== Career == Stambaugh was re-elected to the Washington House of Representatives in 2016.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://results.vote.wa.gov/results/20160802/Legislative-All.html|title=Legislative - All Results|website=results.vote.wa.gov|access-date=2017-07-08}}</ref> Stambaugh was charged with 44 ethics violations for posting publicly-available multimedia content paid for by taxpayers to her campaign Facebook page. Ultimately, the Legislative Ethics Board fined her $5,000.<ref name="then_Puya">{{Cite web | title = Puyallup lawmaker faces 44 alleged ethics violations for using state videos, photos in campaign | author = | work = thenewstribune | date = | accessdate = 2017-09-20 | url = http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/politics-government/article108121642.html | quote = }}</ref><ref name="theo_Ethi">{{Cite web | title = Ethics board fines Puyallup lawmaker $5,000 over Facebook posts | author = | work = theolympian | date = | accessdate = 2017-09-20 | url = http://www.theolympian.com/news/politics-government/article133357704.html | quote = }}</ref>

On February 17, 2018, Stambaugh announced her retirement from the Washington State Legislature, stating that she would not run for re-election later that year.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/politics-government/article201674774.html |title=Puyallup lawmaker says she won't seek reelection to state House |publisher=The News Tribune |author=Walker Orenstein |date=February 23, 2018 |accessdate=March 16, 2018}}</ref>

==Personal life== Stambaugh was the 2009 Daffodil Queen in Pierce County, Washington, which became a point of contention during her 2014 campaign.<ref name="daffodil" /> At the time, she was a senior at Emerald Ridge High School in South Hill.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thenewstribune.com/2014/03/21/3109394/puyallups-melanie-stambaugh-running.html|agency=The News Tribune|title=Puyallup's Melanie Stambaugh running for state House|date=March 21, 2014|accessdate=February 10, 2015|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150211085815/http://www.thenewstribune.com/2014/03/21/3109394/puyallups-melanie-stambaugh-running.html|archivedate=February 11, 2015}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stambaugh, Melanie}} Category:1990 births Category:Living people Category:Politicians from Puyallup, Washington Category:American beauty pageant winners Category:Republican Party members of the Washington House of Representatives Category:21st-century members of the Washington State Legislature Category:Women state legislators in Washington (state) Category:21st-century American women politicians Category:Beauty queen–politicians