Elesha L. Gayman is a former Iowa State Representative from the 84th District. She served in the Iowa House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011. Gayman served on several committees in the Iowa House - the Agriculture committee; the Appropriations committee; the Education committee; and the Public Safety committee. She was vice-chair of the Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee.

Gayman is a 1997 graduate of Davenport West High School, attended St. Ambrose University, spent a semester of her sophomore year at Loyola University’s Rome Center in Italy, earned a BA (political science) from the University of Iowa in 2001, and an MPA from Drake University through the Quad Cities Graduate Center in 2007.^[1]

She was a delegate to the 2004 Democratic National Convention and campaign manager (for four northeast Iowa counties) in John Kerry's President Campaign in 2004. She was a staffer for State Sen. Brian Schoenjahn, and an intern for State Sen. Pat Deluhery. When she was 13 she went to Davenport's city hall and argued against the youth curfew.^[2] In the 2008 United States presidential election, she was Eastern Iowa Political Director for Barack Obama’s Presidential Caucus Campaign.

Gayman was elected in 2006 with 5,429 votes (50%), defeating Republican incumbent Jim Van Fossen.^[3] She was re-elected in 2008.^[4]