:en:Donna Edwards

Edwards was born in Yanceyville, North Carolina. She earned B.A. degrees in English and Spanish from Wake Forest University, where she was one of only six black women in the class of 1980.{{cite web|title=Donna Edwards' Biography|url=http://votesmart.org/candidate/biography/65085/donna-edwards|website=Project Vote Smart|access-date=December 23, 2014}} After working for Lockheed Corporation at the Goddard Space Flight Center with the Spacelab program,{{cite speech|title=Blastoff: Encouraging Young People to Enter and Stay in the STEM Fields|first=Charles|last=Bolden|author-link=Charles Bolden|event=Blastoff: Encouraging Young People to Enter and Stay in the STEM Fields|location=Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.|date=June 6, 2012|url=http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/657563main_DonnaEdwardsBlastoff.pdf|access-date=March 14, 2016}} she attended and earned a J.D. in 1989 from the Franklin Pierce Law Center (now known as the University of New Hampshire School of Law). Edwards worked for Albert Wynn as a clerk in the 1980s, when he served in the Maryland House of Delegates.{{cite web|title=Donna F. Edwards, U.S. Representative (Maryland)|url=http://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdmanual/39fed/06ushse/html/msa14894.html|website=msa.maryland.gov|publisher=Maryland State Archives|access-date=January 3, 2017}}

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 worked 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. In 2000, she became the executive director of the Arca Foundation, taking a leave of absence during her political campaign.

In the spring of 2015, Edwards, along with several other members of the House of Representatives, introduced the Restoring Education and Learning Act (REAL Act) to bring back Pell Grants to prisoners. Edwards' press release outlines numerous advantages to prisoner education, including net benefits to taxpayers who bear the costs of recidivism.{{Cite journal|title = Keeping It REAL: Why Congress Must Act to Restore Pell Grant Funding for Prisoners|ssrn = 2711979|journal = University of Massachusetts Law Review|volume = 11|publisher = Social Science Research Network|date = January 6, 2016|location = Rochester, NY|author = SpearIt}}

Edwards is a national co-chair of the progressive group Health Care Voter.{{cite web|url=https://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/412038-when-my-former-colleagues-in-congress-attack-health-care-they-attack-me|title=When my former colleagues in Congress attack health care, they attack me|date=October 18, 2018|work=The Hill}}

File:US Navy 090519-N-9268E-004 U.S. Rep. Donna F. Edwards speaks with Senior Chief Yeoman Dee Allen during the 12th Annual Women in the Military Wreath Laying Ceremony.jpg

{{See also|2006 United States House of Representatives elections in Maryland#District 4}}

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, considered a conservative by African-American Democratic standards, 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 some bankruptcy protections for individuals. 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 a debate at Prince George's Community College, an altercation occurred between Wynn's staffers and an Edwards volunteer, leaving the volunteer with a bloody gash to the head.{{cite news |last=Wiggins |first=Ovetta |date=August 18, 2006 |title=Supporters Scuffle At Candidate Forum |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/17/AR2006081701531.html |access-date=March 13, 2008}} This event brought much media attention to the race.

On August 30, 2006, The Washington Post endorsed Edwards in the primary race.{{cite news |date=August 30, 2006 |title=For Congress in Maryland |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/29/AR2006082901302.html |access-date=March 13, 2008}}

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.{{cite web |title=REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS Results |url=http://www.elections.state.md.us/elections/2006/results/primary/office_Representative_in_Congress.html |access-date=March 13, 2008 |work=Maryland State Board of Elections}} 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.{{cite news |last=Spiegal |first=Brendan |date=September 25, 2006 |title=Prolonged Vote Count in Md. 4 Ends With Victory for Wynn |work=CQPolitics.com |url=http://www.cqpolitics.com/2006/09/prolonged_vote_count_in_md_4_e.html |access-date=March 13, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061027152806/http://www.cqpolitics.com/2006/09/prolonged_vote_count_in_md_4_e.html |archive-date=October 27, 2006}}

File:Danny Glover and Donna Edwards, January 14, 2008.jpg and Matt Stoller, January 2008.]]

{{Main|2 = 2008 Maryland's 4th congressional district special election}}

In 2008, Edwards again challenged Wynn for his seat in the Democratic primary. 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 counter-attacked 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.{{cite news |last=Teitelbaum |first=Michael |date=January 8, 2008 |title=Challenger Seeks to Dramatize Rep. Wynn's Lobbyist Links |work=CQPolitics.com |url=http://cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?parm1=5&docID=news-000002652921 |url-status=dead |access-date=March 13, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080313005212/http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?parm1=5 |archive-date=March 13, 2008}}

File:Donna Edwards at victory rally, February 13, 2008.jpg

In the February 12, 2008, primary, Edwards defeated the eight-term incumbent in a rout, taking 60% of the vote to Wynn's 35%. The win virtually assured her of victory in the heavily Democratic district in November.{{cite news |last=Helderman |first=Rosalind |date=February 13, 2008 |title=Edwards overpowers Wynn |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/12/AR2008021202882.html |access-date=June 19, 2008}}

After the primary, Wynn announced he would resign effective June 2008. Edwards won the Democratic nomination for the June 17, 2008, special election to serve out the last six months of Wynn's term.[http://blog.washingtonpost.com/annapolis/2008/04/edwards_not_only_dem_intereste.html The Washington Post: "Edwards Not Only Dem Interested in District 4".] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110523101517/http://blog.washingtonpost.com/annapolis/2008/04/edwards_not_only_dem_intereste.html|date=May 23, 2011}}

As expected, Edwards easily won the special election, taking 81 percent of the vote over Republican Peter James and Libertarian Thibeaux Lincecum.[http://www.elections.state.md.us/elections/2008/2008_special_4th_congressional_general_results.html Maryland Board of Elections: 2008 Special 4th Congressional General Election Official Results.] She took office two days later, giving her a leg-up on seniority over any new congresspersons who were elected in 2008.

{{Main|2008 United States House of Representatives elections in Maryland#District 4}}

Edwards ran for a full term in November 2008 and was an overwhelming favorite; a Republican has never tallied more than 25 percent of the vote in the 4th district since it assumed its current configuration after the 1990 Census.Helderman, Rosalind.[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/12/AR2008061203941.html "A GOP Congressional Candidate's Lonely Voice"]. The Washington Post, June 13, 2008. Indeed, many of the 4th district's residents already thought of her as the district's congresswoman even before the special election. As expected, Edwards easily won a full term with 85 percent of the vote, one of the highest percentages in the nation for a Democrat facing major-party opposition.

{{See also|2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Maryland#District 4}}

Edwards won against Delegate Herman L. Taylor Jr. in the September 2010 primary, and then defeated Republican Robert Broadus with 83 percent of the vote in the general election.

{{See also|2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Maryland#District 4}}

Edwards won against George McDermott and Ian Garner in the Democratic primary, and then defeated Republican Faith M. Loudon and Libertarian Scott Soffen with 77 percent of the vote in the general election.

{{See also|2014 United States House of Representatives elections in Maryland#District 4}}

Edwards won against Warren Christopher in the Democratic primary, and then defeated Republican Nancy Hoyt and Libertarian Arvin Vohra with 70 percent of the vote in the general election.

{{See also|2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Maryland#District 4}}

After Anthony Brown's announcement that he would not be running for re-election to Congress in order to run for state attorney general, Edwards announced on January 20, 2022, that she would be running in the 2022 U.S. House elections for her old seat, Maryland's 4th congressional district.{{Cite news |last=Flynn |first=Meagan |date=January 20, 2022 |title=Donna Edwards jumps into the race for her old Md. congressional seat |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/01/20/donna-edwards-maryland-congress-brown/ |access-date=January 27, 2022}} United Democracy Project, a super PAC associated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, ran nearly $6 million worth of advertising attacking Edwards during the primary election cycle. Her successful opponent, former Prince George's County State's Attorney Glenn Ivey, also received almost half of his campaign contributions from donors associated with AIPAC.[https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/07/19/edwards-maryland-primary-elections-congress/ Ivey defeats Edwards in bitter, high-profile Md. primary for House], The Washington Post, Meagan Flynn, July 20, 2022. Retrieved July 20, 2022. Edwards was supported by $720,000 from the J Street PAC, and $550,000 from the League of Conservation Voters.{{Cite web |title=LCV Victory Fund Invests $550,000 to Support Donna Edwards in MD-04 Primary |url=https://www.lcv.org/article/lcv-victory-fund-invests-550000-to-support-donna-edwards-in-md-04-primary/ |access-date=July 21, 2022 |website=League of Conservation Voters |language=en}} The New York Times described the race as a "proxy fight over Israel".{{Cite web |title=Biden's embrace of Israel sent clear message to party - Leading Dem |url=https://www.jpost.com/international/article-712650 |access-date=July 21, 2022 |website=The Jerusalem Post {{!}} JPost.com |date=July 20, 2022 |language=en-US}}

While there was heavy outside spending in the 2022 Democratic primary, Edwards went from a 13-point lead to trailing Ivey by 5 points as of early June,{{Cite web |last=Deutch |first=Gabby |date=July 6, 2022 |title=Ivey now leads Edwards ahead of MD-4 Democratic primary |url=https://jewishinsider.com/2022/07/glenn-ivey-donna-edwards-poll-maryland-congress-democratic-primary/ |access-date=August 4, 2022 |website=Jewish Insider |language=en-US}} weeks before United Democracy Project began running TV ads on June 17.{{Cite web |title=J Street Calls on Glenn Ivey to Reject Misleading Ads from Republican-aligned Group |url=https://jstreet.org/press-releases/j-street-calls-on-glenn-ivey-to-reject-misleading-ads-from-republican-aligned-group/ |access-date=August 4, 2022 |website=J Street: The Political Home for Pro-Israel, Pro-Peace Americans |language=en-US}} Edwards received 35 percent of the vote, while Ivey received 52 percent.{{Cite web |title=Unofficial 2022 Election Results |url=https://elections.maryland.gov/elections/2022/primary_results/gen_results_2022_5.html |access-date=August 9, 2022 |website=elections.maryland.gov}}

On April 27, 2009, Rep. Donna Edwards was arrested outside the Sudan embassy during a protest against genocide in Darfur.{{cite web |title=U.S. lawmakers arrested in Darfur protest at Sudan embassy |url=http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/04/27/us-lawmakers-arrested-in-darfur-protest-at-sudan-embassy/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120712083734/http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/04/27/us-lawmakers-arrested-in-darfur-protest-at-sudan-embassy/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 12, 2012 |access-date=April 27, 2009 |publisher=CNN}} The Representative and five other U.S. Congressional Representatives were protesting the blocking of aid to victims. They were arrested after ignoring warnings issued by police maintaining a police line to protect the embassy in Washington, D.C.

The other U.S. lawmakers arrested during the protest were Reps. Jim McGovern (D-Massachusetts), Keith Ellison (D-Minnesota), Rep. John Lewis (D-Georgia), Rep. Jim Moran (D-Virginia), and Lynn Woolsey (D-California).[http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/04/27/5-in-Congress-arrested-at-Darfur-protest/UPI-79551240858966/ 5 in Congress arrested at Darfur protest.] UPI.com April 27, 2009.

• Committee on Science, Space and Technology
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• Subcommittee on Environment
• Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
• Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management
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• Populist Caucus
• Congressional Progressive Caucus{{cite web|title=Congressional Progressive Caucus Members|url=http://cpc.grijalva.house.gov/caucus-members/|access-date=January 22, 2013|archive-date=December 22, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141222040708/http://cpc.grijalva.house.gov/caucus-members/|url-status=dead}}

{{Main|2016 United States Senate election in Maryland}}

Edwards and Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) faced off in the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate seat to be vacated by Barbara Mikulski's (D) retirement.Arelis R. Hernández, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/us-rep-donna-edwards-said-to-be-announcing-senate-bid-on-tuesday/2015/03/08/4b929c52-c5eb-11e4-a199-6cb5e63819d2_story.html "U.S. Rep. Donna Edwards said to be announcing Senate bid on Tuesday"], The Washington Post, March 8, 2015. She lost the primary election on April 26, 2016. Edwards received 39 percent of the vote, while Van Hollen received 53 percent.{{Cite web |title=2016 Election Results |url=https://elections.maryland.gov/elections/2016/results/primary/gen_results_2016_3_007-.html |access-date=August 9, 2022 |website=elections.maryland.gov}} Since she had run for the Senate seat, instead of for reelection to her Congressional seat, Edwards left public office when her term expired in January 2017, and was succeeded by former lieutenant governor Anthony Brown.

Edwards ran for Prince George's County Executive but lost to Angela Alsobrooks in the Democratic primary,{{cite news |date=October 5, 2017 |title=Former Maryland congresswoman Donna Edwards to run for county executive |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/former-md-congresswoman-donna-edwards-to-run-for-county-executive/2017/10/04/76f9e0e0-a7a6-11e7-92d1-58c702d2d975_story.html}} despite benefitting from an outside group that spent nearly $1 million to support Edwards and ran what The Washington Post editorial board deemed a "smear campaign".{{Cite news |title=Opinion {{!}} Outside money funds a dishonest smear campaign in Prince George's |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/outside-money-funds-a-dishonest-smear-campaign-in-prince-georges/2018/06/07/94412222-69a6-11e8-9e38-24e693b38637_story.html |access-date=August 4, 2022 |issn=0190-8286}} Edwards received 24 percent of the vote, while Alsobrooks received 62 percent.{{Cite web |date=June 27, 2018 |title=2018 Prince George's County Primary Race Results |url=https://wtop.com/local-politics-elections-news/2018/06/2018-md-primary-guide-prince-georges-county-council-exec-results/ |access-date=August 4, 2022 |website=WTOP News |language=en}}

Edwards lives in Oxon Hill, Maryland.

On July 7, 2017, she announced that she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.[https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/to-my-colleagues-in-congress-i-have-ms-dont-make-my-insurance-unaffordable/2017/07/07/bd7bcaea-630b-11e7-8adc-fea80e32bf47_story.html To my colleagues in Congress: I have MS. Don't make my insurance unaffordable.] By Donna F. Edwards. Washington Post. July 7, 2017 Edwards went on MSNBC programs to speak about how she believed the current health care bill that was up for a vote would affect her as a person with multiple sclerosis, and would affect other people with pre-existing conditions. She also penned an op-ed on the subject for The Washington Post.{{cite news |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donna-edwards-multiple-sclerosis-health-care-letter_us_5960de92e4b0615b9e91cbe8 |title=Former Congresswoman Pens Emotional Plea To Colleagues For Affordable Health Care |date=July 8, 2017 |newspaper=HuffPost |first=Daniel |last=Marans |access-date=December 21, 2020 }}

• List of African-American United States representatives
• List of African-American United States Senate candidates
• Women in the United States House of Representatives

{{Reflist|30em}}

{{commons}}

• {{CongLinks | congbio=E000290 | votesmart=65085 | fec=H6MD04183 | congress=donna-edwards/1894 }}
• {{C-SPAN|38535}}
• [http://www.c-span.org/video/?282702-1/qa-donna-edwards Q&A interview with Edwards], C-SPAN, December 7, 2008
• [https://archive.today/20110809191444/http://www.theyoungturks.com/story/2009/6/18/17845/7361 Congresswoman Edwards on The Young Turks Show], June 2009

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