Candidate Watch: Elesha Gayman - Iowa House District 84by Caroline Vernon
Elesha Gayman is an outstanding candidate for Iowa House District 84. She is a breath of fresh air, and exemplifies the kind of down home values that will help to promote and preserve what it means to be an Iowan. Elesha will ensure that Iowa is a better place to live, work, and raise a family. What else could we ask for?
[Click here for a map of Iowa House District 84 in Scott County.]
Elesha Gayman was born in Davenport, Iowa. Her great, great grandparents were one of the original 13 families that settled in Davenport during the mid 1840's before Iowa became a state in 1846. In fact, the Gayman homestead is still in the family and their name can be found on the monument at the Scott County museum and pioneer village.
Initially inspired by former Republican State Representative, Neil Harrison, Elesha first became involved in politics at the age of thirteen when she became a member of the Davenport Youth City Council. Feeling a little rebellious at the time, Elesha advocated against youth curfews. Although she shared she was unsuccessful in changing anyone’s mind, the experience with the DYCC did much to enhance her confidence levels.
During her senior year in high school, Elesha helped to plan voter registration drives and engaged many of her peers in the process. Upon graduating in 1997, she recalls that Newt Gingrich’s “Contract with America” was in full swing. It was at that time that she started paying closer attention to the different platform issues and became more selective of who she would support and why. Although she was previously involved with the Republican Party throughout the 90's, their message at that time discouraged women from becoming involved in the political process as well as the workforce. As a result, Elesha said the last thing she wanted to hear was someone telling her what she couldn’t do. This got her more fired up than ever.
Click here to visit Elesha Gayman's website.
After attending one year at St. Ambrose University, Elesha attended the first semester of her sophomore year in Rome, Italy, majoring in Political Science with an emphasis in International Relations. Elesha shared with me that this experience imparted a deep sense of history. Many of the cobblestone roads still bore the deep grooves made by the wheels of ancient chariots. In addition to her political science classes, she also took advantage of taking classes in Catholicism, Art, and Philosophy.
Elesha arrived in Rome just two days after the embassy bombings in Africa and the Kosovo situation was also exploding over there at the time. These issues prompted her interest in law and military affairs, so she took as many military classes as she could in college. It was at that time that she became very interested in the career of General Wesley Clark. She later became part of the Draft Clark campaign for President although she ultimately went to the Democratic National Convention as a Howard Dean delegate.
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