Beverly Gossage

{{Infobox officeholder

|name = Beverly Gossage

|image =

|caption =

|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1950|5|22}}

|birth_place = Wichita, Kansas, U.S.

|death_date =

|death_place =

|state_senate = Kansas

|district = 9th

|term_start = January 11, 2021

|term_end =

|preceded = Julia Lynn

|succeeded =

|party = Republican

|spouse = Robert

|children = 4

|education = Fort Scott Community College
Central Missouri State University

}}

Beverly Gossage (born May 22, 1950) is an American politician, Medicare/Medicaid insurance broker, and former educator currently serving as a member of the Kansas Senate representing the 9th district in Johnson County, Kansas. A Republican, she was elected in 2020 to succeed retiring senator Julia Lynn.{{cite web|url=http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/members/sen_gossage_beverly_1/ |title=Senator Beverly Gossage |publisher=Kslegislature.org |access-date=February 5, 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://ballotpedia.org/Beverly_Gossage |title=Beverly Gossage Ballotpedia |publisher=Ballotpedia |access-date=February 5, 2021}}{{cite web|author=Jonathan Shorman |url=https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article245802585.html |title=Kansas GOP picks replacement for State Sen. Julia Lynn, who dropped reelection bid |publisher=Kansas City Star |date=September 17, 2020 |access-date=February 5, 2021}} Previously, she had unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for Kansas Insurance Commissioner in 2014.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Beverly Gossage for Kansas Insurance Commissioner|url=http://beverlygossage.com/|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131023142932/http://beverlygossage.com/|archive-date=October 23, 2013|access-date=|website=}}

Early life and education

Gossage was born in Wichita, Kansas, to Calvin and LaVaughn Kastl.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Beverly Gossage – for Kansas State Senate|url=http://beverlygossage.com/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028201410/http://beverlygossage.com/|archive-date=October 28, 2020|access-date=February 5, 2021|website=|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Meet Beverly|url=http://beverlygossage.com/meetbeverly.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131023134652/http://beverlygossage.com/meetbeverly.html|archive-date=October 23, 2013|access-date=|website=Beverly Gossage for Kansas Insurance Commissioner}} She earned an associate's degree from Fort Scott Community College, and holds a bachelor's degree in education from Central Missouri State University.

= Private sector career =

Gossage worked for eight years as an elementary school teacher. She also worked at Sylvan Learning.{{cite web|author=KUCR |url=https://www.kcur.org/politics-elections-and-government/2014-07-28/primer-on-gop-candidates-for-kansas-insurance-commissioner |title=Primer on GOP candidates for Kansas insurance commissioner |publisher=KUCR |date=July 28, 2014 |access-date=February 5, 2021}}

Gossage founded HSA Benefits Consulting, a firm that consults with businesses and individuals regarding health savings accounts. She specialized in consumer driven health plans.{{Cite web|title=Beverly Gossage|url=https://www.iwv.org/people/beverly-gossage/|access-date=February 5, 2021|website=Independent Women's Voice|language=en}} She has also served as a consultant with the Show-Me Institute, a conservative think tank based in Missouri.{{Cite web|last=Shorman|first=Jonathan|date=September 17, 2020|title=Kansas GOP picks replacement for state Sen. Julia Lynn, who dropped re-election bid|url=https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article245802585.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021002315/https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article245802585.html|archive-date=October 21, 2020|access-date=February 5, 2021|website=The Wichita Eagle}}

= Early political activity =

Gossage is a Republican, and has described herself as a "free-market conservative" and a "Tea Party grassroots activist".{{Cite web|last=Smith|first=David|date=July 21, 2016|title='He's a disaster': Trump still faces a party divided on convention's final night|url=http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jul/21/donald-trump-republican-national-convention-delegates-cleveland|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160722115932/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jul/21/donald-trump-republican-national-convention-delegates-cleveland |archive-date=July 22, 2016 |access-date=February 8, 2021|website=the Guardian|language=en}}

Gossage was appointed as alternate delegate to the 2012 Republican Convention. The following year, she was appointed as a State Delegate for the Kansas Republican Party.

In 2014, she ran for Kansas Insurance Commissioner. She was unsuccessful in winning the Republican nomination, coming in second place at the primary election. During her campaign, she received endorsements from Newt Gingrich and the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, as well as several Kansas State Representatives, including Willie Dove, Owen Donohoe, and Amanda Grosserode.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Endorsements|url=http://www.beverlygossage.com/endorsements.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130901235633/http://www.beverlygossage.com/endorsements.html|archive-date=September 1, 2013|access-date=|website=Beverly Gossage for Kansas Insurance Commissioner}}{{Cite web|title=AAPS endorses Beverly Gossage for Kansas Insurance Commissioner|url=https://us1.campaign-archive.com/?u=30a32513ae04f5445c95f3239&id=03fe8982f4&e|access-date=February 5, 2021|website=us1.campaign-archive.com}}

During the 2016 Presidential election, Gossage again served as Republican delegate. During the race, she supported Ted Cruz.

Senate career

Gossage was nominated by Republican precinct members in Kansas's 9th district, and ran against Democrat Stacey Knoell in the 2020 Kansas Senate election. Her hastened campaign preceded a last minute drop-out; incumbent senator Julia Lynn withdrew her campaign due to a family emergency in early September.

For the 2021–2022 legislative session, Gossage was appointed Vice Chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Public Health and Welfare. Additionally, she received the following Senate Committee assignments:

Financial Institutions and Insurance
Judiciary
Education
Robert G. (Bob) Bethell Joint Committee on Home and Community Based Services and KanCare Oversight

Personal life

Gossage married Robert Gossage in 1969, and had four children. She currently lives in rural De Soto. Robert died of COVID-19 on December 16, 2020.{{Cite web|last=Motter|first=Sarah|date=|title=Kansas Senator-elect loses husband just before taking office|url=https://www.wibw.com/2020/12/17/kansas-senator-elect-loses-husband-just-before-taking-office/|access-date=February 5, 2021|website=WIBW|language=en}}{{Cite web|last=Gardens|first=Johnson County Funeral Chapel & Memorial|title=Obituary for Robert E. Gossage {{!}} Johnson County Funeral Chapel & Memorial Gardens|url=https://www.johnsoncountychapel.com/obituary/Robert-Gossage|access-date=February 5, 2021|website=Obituary for Robert E. Gossage {{!}} Johnson County Funeral Chapel & Memorial Gardens|language=en}}

References

External links

[http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/members/sen_gossage_beverly_1/ Senator Beverly Gossage's page on the Kansas State Legislature website]
[http://beverlygossage.com/ Gossage's State Senate Campaign website]
[http://www.hsabenefitsconsulting.com/ HSA Benefits Consulting website]
[https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/biography/152454/beverly-gossage Vote Smart Beverly Gossage]

{{Succession box

| before = Julia Lynn

| title = Kansas Senate Senator for 9th District

| years = January 11, 2021 – Present

| after = Incumbent

}}

Category:Republican Party Kansas state senators

Category:21st-century American women politicians

Category:Businesspeople from Kansas

Category:Educators from Kansas

Category:Candidates in the 2014 United States elections

Category:21st-century American women educators