Andrea Seastrand
American politician (born 1941)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Andrea Heidi Seastrand (née Ciszek; born August 5, 1941) is a former one-term Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, serving from 1995 to 1997.
Andrea Seastrand | |
|---|---|
| |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 22nd district | |
| In office January 3, 1995 – January 3, 1997 | |
| Preceded by | Michael Huffington |
| Succeeded by | Walter Capps |
| Member of the California State Assembly from the 33rd district | |
| In office December 7, 1992 – November 30, 1994 | |
| Preceded by | Trice Harvey |
| Succeeded by | Tom J. Bordonaro Jr. |
| Member of the California State Assembly from the 29th district | |
| In office December 3, 1990 – November 30, 1992 | |
| Preceded by | Eric Seastrand |
| Succeeded by | Bill Jones |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Andrea Heidi Ciszek August 5, 1941 |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | DePaul University (BA) |
Personal life
Seastrand was born Andrea Heidi Ciszek in Chicago.[1][2] She graduated from DePaul University in 1963 with a B.A. in education, and then moved to Salinas, California to find work as an elementary school teacher.[3] In 1965, she married Eric Seastrand, a stockbroker, and the couple had two children named Kurt and Heidi.[3]
Political career
From 1982 to 1990, when her husband served in the California State Assembly as a Republican, Seastrand joined the California Federation of Republican Women, later becoming its president.[3]
In 1990, Eric Seastrand died of cancer, and Andrea won a special election to succeed him, receiving 65 per cent of the vote.[3][4] She remained a member of assembly for the next four years, serving on the education committee and as assistant minority leader.[3][1]
Seastrand was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994, narrowly defeating Theology professor Walter Capps and succeeding fellow Republican Michael Huffington.[3][5] Considered one of the more conservative members of the 104th Congress,[6] she faced Capps again in 1996 and was defeated.[3]
Post-political work
In 1997, after her departure from Congress, Seastrand founded the California Space and Technology Alliance—a private nonprofit focused on promoting California's participation in space ventures—which later became the California Space Authority.[3] She remained executive director of the organization from its creation until its dissolution in 2011.[7][8]
Electoral history
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Andrea Seastrand | 102,987 | 49.27% | |
| Democratic | Walter Capps | 101,424 | 48.53% | |
| Libertarian | David L. Bersohn | 4,597 | 2.20% | |
| Total votes | 209,008 | 100.0% | ||
| Turnout | ||||
| Republican hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Walter Capps | 118,299 | 48.5% | |||
| Republican | Andrea Seastrand (incumbent) | 107,987 | 44.3% | |||
| Independent | Steven Wheeler | 9,845 | 4.0% | |||
| Reform | Richard Porter | 3,975 | 1.6% | |||
| Libertarian | David Bersohn | 2,233 | 0.9% | |||
| Natural Law | Dawn Tomastik | 1,847 | 0.7% | |||
| Total votes | 244,186 | 100.0% | ||||
| Turnout | ||||||
| Democratic gain from Republican | ||||||