Andrea Seastrand was a Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 member of the United States House of Representatives

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

.

Seastrand was born in Chicago, Illinois

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

 and graduated from DePaul University

DePaul University

DePaul University is a private institution of higher education and research in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th century French priest Saint Vincent de Paul...

 with a B.A.

Bachelor of Arts

A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...

 in 1963. She worked as an elementary school teacher and was president of the California Federation of Republican Women. In 1965, she married Eric Seastrand, a stockbroker. He was elected to the California state Assembly

California State Assembly

The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...

 in 1982 and compiled a strongly conservative record. In 1990, he died of cancer and Andrea Seastrand won a special election to succeed him. She was reelected in 1990 and 1992, and served as Assistant Minority Leader. She was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994, narrowly defeating college professor Walter Capps

Walter Capps

Walter Holden Capps was an American politician. He was a Democratic Party member of the United States House of Representatives. Capps had lost an election to Andrea Seastrand for the 22nd district in California in 1994, which had been a landslide year for the Republicans. Seastrand, a...

 and succeeding fellow Republican Michael Huffington

Michael Huffington

Michael Huffington is an American politician, bisexual activist, and film producer. He was a member of the Republican Party, and a member of the United States House of Representatives for one term, 1993–1995, from California...

 who made an unsuccessful bid for the U.S. Senate. She faced Capps again in 1996 and was defeated. She currently serves as executive director of the California Space Authority

California Space Authority

The California Space Authority was a nonprofit corporation representing the commercial, civil, and national defense/homeland security interests of California's diverse space enterprise community in four domains: Industry, Government, Academia, and Workforce. CSA was also a participating member in...

, a statewide nonprofit corporation. She is also California's delegate to the Aerospace States Association (ASA) and both a member of Women In Aerospace (WIA) and the Air Force Association

Air Force Association

The Air Force Association is an independent, 501 non-profit, civilian education organization, headquartered in Arlington, Virginia...

(AFA).