Paul B. "Skip" Stam Jr. was a Republican member of the North Carolina General Assembly representing the state's 37th House district, including constituents in Wake County. An attorney from Apex, North Carolina, Stam was elected to his seventh (non-consecutive) term in the state House of Representatives in 2012. He was first elected in 1988, but was defeated for re-election in 1990. He ran unsuccessfully for the state Senate and for the North Carolina Court of Appeals before being elected to the House again in 2002.

An election was held on November 2, 2004 to elect all 120 members to North Carolina's House of Representatives. The election coincided with elections for other offices, including the Presidency, U.S Senate, Governorship, U.S. House of Representatives, Council of State, and state senate. The primary election was held on July 20, 2004 with a run-off occurring on August 17, 2004. These elections were the first to use new district lines drawn by the General Assembly to account the for changes in population amongst each of the districts after the 2000 census. The 2002 elections had been conducted under a map ordered by the North Carolina Superior Court.