Donna Edwards
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| Donna F. Edwards | |
 Edwards at victory rally shortly after defeating Al Wynn in the primary election, February 13, 2008. |
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| Born | June 28, 1958 North Carolina |
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| Political party | Democratic |
| Residence | Fort Washington, Maryland |
| Occupation | Attorney |
| Website | Donna Edwards Democrat For Congress |
Donna F. Edwards (born June 28, 1958) is a lawyer and community activist who defeated Maryland's 4th congressional district incumbent Albert Wynn in the 2008 Democratic primary.[1] Because the district is heavily Democratic, she is favored to win the general election.[2] If she wins, she will be the first black woman to represent Maryland in the United States House of Representatives. She will also be the first female Democrat elected to the House of Representatives from Maryland in 15 years.
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[edit] Early life and career
Edwards got her first degree from Wake Forest University, where she was one of only six African American women in her class. After working for Lockheed Corporation at the Goddard Space Flight Center with the Spacelab program, she attended and earned a law degree from Franklin Pierce Law Center in New Hampshire. Edwards worked for Albert Wynn as a clerk in the 1980s, when he served in the Maryland House of Delegates.
She lives in Fort Washington with her son, Jared Coleman
[edit] Community activism
Edwards co-founded and served as the first executive director of the National Network to End Domestic Violence, an advocacy and legal support group for battered women. She was involved in helping to pass the 1994 Violence Against Women Act.
She later worked with Public Citizen, and then as the executive director of the Center for a New Democracy. Since 2000 she has been the executive director of the Arca Foundation, taking a leave of absence during her political campaign.
[edit] Congressional campaigns
Edwards challenged seven-term incumbent Al Wynn in the 2006 Democratic primary — the real contest in this heavily Democratic, black-majority district. Edwards focused primarily on Wynn's voting record. Wynn, one of the more conservative African-American members of the House, was one of four Congressional Black Caucus members that voted for the 2002 Iraq War resolution. Edwards condemned the war before it started. Wynn eventually began to say he was misled by the Bush Administration and his vote was a mistake. Edwards opposed the repeal of the estate tax, which Wynn voted for. Similarly, Edwards criticized Wynn's vote for the bankruptcy bill of 2005, which eliminated important bankruptcy protections for individuals, while maintaining similar protections for corporations. Wynn supported the energy bill promoted by Vice President and former Halliburton CEO Dick Cheney. Wynn opposed the net neutrality bill of 2006, which Edwards supports.
On August 16, 2006 before the debate at Prince George's County Community College, an altercation occurred between Wynn's staffers and an Edwards volunteer, leaving the volunteer with a bloody gash to the head[3]. This event brought much media attention to the race.
On August 30, 2006 the Washington Post endorsed Donna Edwards.[4]
The primary was held on September 12, 2006. Wynn defeated Edwards, by 49.7 percent to 46.4 percent with a margin of 2,725 votes out of more than 82,000 cast. George McDermott, a little-known candidate, took 3.9 percent.[5] The final tally of the primary was unclear for nearly two weeks because of widespread voting problems on new electronic voting machines in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties. [6]
In 2008, Edwards again challenged Wynn for his seat in the Democratic primary. She defeated the eight-term incumbent on February 12, 2008 by a margin of 60% to 35%.[2]
During the 2008 campaign, Edwards accused Wynn of being out of touch with the community, and of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars of corporate money. Wynn counterattacked Edwards as hypocritical, citing the fact that she served as executive director of the Arca Foundation, an organization that has invested millions of dollars in oil and gas companies.[7]
Since the Primary, Wynn announced he will retire early in June, 2008. Edwards is the Democratic candidate in the June 17, 2008 special election to fill the Congressional seat for the remainder of the 110th United States Congress.[8]
Edwards won the backing of the Montgomery County, Maryland Democratic Party Central Committee April 22, 2008 by a 22 to 1 margin. Two days later, the Prince Georges County Democratic Party Central Committee also recommended Edwards, this by a 17 to 0 vote on April 24, 2008.
[edit] References
- ^ Helderman, Rosalin S; Wan, William. "Md. Challenger Edwards Wins Stunning Victory Over Long-Time Incumbent Wynn", Washington Post, 2008-02-13. Retrieved on 2008-03-13.
- ^ a b Dishneau, David. "2 Incumbents Lose Md. Primaries", Associated Press, Google News, 2008-02-13. Retrieved on 2008-03-13.
- ^ Wiggins, Ovetta. "Supporters Scuffle At Candidate Forum", Washington Post, 2006-08-18. Retrieved on 2008-03-13.
- ^ "For Congress in Maryland", Washington Post, 2006-08-30. Retrieved on 2008-03-13.
- ^ REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS Results. Maryland State Board of Elections. Retrieved on 2008-03-13.
- ^ Spiegal, Brendan. "Prolonged Vote Count in Md. 4 Ends With Victory for Wynn", CQPolitics.com, 2006-09-25. Retrieved on 2008-03-13.
- ^ Teitelbaum, Michael. "Challenger Seeks to Dramatize Rep. Wynn’s Lobbyist Links", CQPolitics.com, 2008-01-08. Retrieved on 2008-03-13.
- ^ Washington Post: Edwards Not Only Dem Interested in District 4
[edit] External links
