DFA helps Elesha Gayman win House seat in Iowa

Written by: Sheri Divers on Nov 30, 2006 10:30 AM EST

Democracy for America Quad-Cities, take a bow! They helped 28 year old Elesha Gayman win a Republican-held Iowa House seat. Many "experts" thought her candidacy was doomed, but DFA Quad-Cities knew better:

Three weeks ago, Elesha Gayman scored one of the biggest upsets in Quad-City politics this year by defeating incumbent Rep. James Van Fossen, R-Davenport, in western Scott County’s 84th House District.

Gayman’s victory was remarkable in that she wasn’t given much of a chance of  winning.

Even her own party did not target the race, though she did get some financial help from Gov. Tom Vilsack.

Gayman has a way of turning heads, friends say.

She did it when she was a 13-year-old arguing against a youth curfew at Davenport City Hall.

She did it by earning a spot at the Democratic National Convention two years ago. And she did it again by winning one of the first endorsements handed out in this year’s campaign season by the Democracy for America political action committee.

Come January, the 28-year-old Gayman gets another chance to impress: in Des Moines, with the opening of the 2007 Iowa legislative session.

Just another success story bred by our amazing local DFA group in the Quad-Cities, people-powered politics and the 50-State Strategy.

-Sheri Divers

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Location: Bettendorf, IA