Andrea Seastrand

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 (1941-08-05) August 5, 1941 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Party	Republican
Spouse	Eric Seastrand ​ ​ (m. 1965; died 1990)​
Children	2
Education	DePaul University (BA)

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.

Personal life

Seastrand was born Andrea Heidi Ciszek in Chicago. 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. In 1965, she married Eric Seastrand, a stockbroker, and the couple had two children named Kurt and Heidi.

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.

In 1990, Eric Seastrand died of cancer, and Andrea won a special election to succeed him, receiving 65 per cent of the vote. She remained a member of assembly for the next four years, serving on the education committee and as assistant minority leader.

Seastrand was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994, narrowly defeating Theology professor Walter Capps and succeeding fellow Republican Michael Huffington. Considered one of the more conservative members of the 104th Congress, she faced Capps again in 1996 and was defeated.

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. She remained executive director of the organization from its creation until its dissolution in 2011.

Electoral history

1994 United States House of Representatives elections in California

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

1996 United States House of Representatives elections in California

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

See also

• Women in the United States House of Representatives

External links

• United States Congress. "Andrea Seastrand (id: S000213)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• Andrea Seastrand-JoinCalifornia.com