Donna Edwards

Donna Edwards has represented the 4th Congressional District of Maryland since 2008. In February of that year she defeated incumbent Rep. Albert Wynn (D-Md.) in the Democratic primary. Following Wynn's May 31, 2008 resignation, Edwards won a special election to fill the remainder of his term.

Positions, record and controversies
During the 2008 campaign, Edwards took positions on the following issues:

Environment
Edwards supports mandatory limits on carbon emissions, an end to subsidies for carbon production, incentives for cleaner energy technology, and better air quality and transportation for the Washington, D.C. area.

Health care
Edwards supports efforts to make healthcare more affordable and accessible. She has argued that "a universal, Canadian-styled, health care system" would provide coverage for all Americans, regardless of employer. She also favors an increased emphasis on preventative medicine, allowing the federal government to negotiate the price of prescription drugs, and greater accountability for health care providers.

Education
Edwards supports universal pre-Kindergarten programs, revisions to the No Child Left Behind program to make it better able to achieve its goals, more funding for vocational and technical schools, and reform of the college student loan system.

Labor
Edwards supports raising the minimum wage to be a "living wage." She was also highly critical of her opponent in the 2008 Democratic primary, Rep. Al Wynn, for his position on labor issues, accusing him of being too close to the interests of his large campaign contributors.

Financial Crisis
Edwards supports federal assistance for homeowners to help restructure their loans, greater oversight over the mortgage and security ratings industries, and reform of the bankruptcy laws. Edwards has been highly critical of the bankruptcy bill passed by Congress in 2005.

Internet
Edwards supports net neutrality.

Iraq War
Edwards has been highly critical of the war in Iraq and has advocated beginning the withdrawal of troops as soon as possible. She favors shifting the focus of U.S. policy in the region to Afghanistan and Pakistan. Edwards says she will make it a priority to provide veterans and their families with high quality medical and compensatory services.

Bio
Donna Edwards grew up in a military family, living in various places around the world. She attended Wake Forest University and after college went to work for the Lockheed Corporation with the Spacelab program. Following the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, Edwards changed careers and went into law, receiving her J.D. from Franklin Pierce Law School in New Hampshire. As a lawyer, Edwards has focused on public interest work. She was co-founder and the first executive director of the National Network to End Domestic Violence, worked on campaign finance reform for Public Citizen and as the executive director of the Center for a New Democracy, and in 2000 became executive director of the Arca Foundation.

2008 elections
Edwards won the Democratic nomination by defeating incumbent Rep. Albert Wynn (D-Md.) in the 2008 congressional primary. Edwards went on to defeat Peter James (R) in the November 2008 general election.

Special election
On May 31, 2008, Wynn resigned his seat in the 110th Congress. Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) called for a special election to fill the remainder of Wynn's term. Edwards defeated Peter James (R) in the June 17 special election by capturing more than 80 percent of the vote.

Money in Politics
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External resources

 * Edwards' FEC filings
 * 2008 Race Tracker page on Maryland's 4th Congressional District
 * Official Donna Edwards for Congress website