Primary Election Date: 04/03/2012
General Election Date: 11/06/2012

Who Am I?

Congresswoman Donna F. Edwards of Fort Washington represents Maryland’s 4th Congressional District. She was sworn in as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 110th Congress in June 2008, and began her first full-term in the 111th Congress in 2009. Congresswoman Edwards serves on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Science and Technology Committee, where she is the Ranking Member on the Technology and Innovation Subcommittee. Congresswoman Edwards also serves on the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct (Ethics Committee) and on the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission.
Congresswoman Edwards has actively participated on the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s Recruitment Committee. She is the Co-Chair of Red to Blue, the DCCC’s central program to take back the House Majority.
Congresswoman Edwards has enjoyed a diverse career as a nonprofit public interest advocate and in the private sector on NASA’s Spacelab project. Before serving in Congress, she was the executive director of the Arca Foundation in Washington, DC.
Congresswoman Edwards co-founded the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV); the first executive of the NNEDV, she led the effort to pass The Violence Against Women Act of 1994 that was signed into law by President Bill Clinton.
Congresswoman Edwards completed undergraduate studies at Wake Forest University and received her Juris Doctor from the University of New Hampshire School of Law (formerly the Franklin Pierce Law Center). She is the proud mother of an adult son.

Why Am I Running?

When her son decided on a college, Congresswoman Edwards decided it was time to become a member of the institution whose policies she worked so hard to change, the U.S. House of Representatives. At the time, she said “I ran for Congress because I believe I represent the hopes and values that are the core of the Democratic Party — for workers, for families, for our country. It is an honor to represent Maryland’s 4th Congressional District, and I believe much more work remains to be done to ensure that the voices of ordinary people are heard throughout our government.” Since coming to Congress, Rep. Edwards turned those words into action; strenghtening health care, protecting Social Security, promoting environmental stewardship, and fighting to create jobs. Congresswoman Edwards is inspired constantly by the stories she hears from working families across her Congressional District, and her goal is to advocate for policies that level the playing field, providing equal opportunity for all Americans.

Hold Me Accountable!

Job Creation and Infrastructure Investments
Job creation and growing the economy are the top priorities for residents in Maryland’s 4th Congressional District and Americans across the country. Congresswoman Edwards believes there are immediate, straightforward, and proven steps to put millions of Americans back to work. The first is passing President Obama’s American Jobs Act, which includes investing $625 million in Maryland infrastructure projects that would create at least 8,100 jobs. It is important that we no longer continue entertaining old policies driven by ideology. Instead, we must take bold action to rebuild the manufacturing base in America. H.R. 689, the 21st Century Investment Act of 2011, sponsored by Congresswoman Edwards, would help in that effort by increasing and making permanent the Research and Development (R&D) tax credit and increasing the domestic manufacturing tax credit to spur innovation. This will help create good-paying jobs here in America in the short-term and help lay a foundation for future prosperity for generations to come.

Strengthening Health Care
Rep. Edwards is a leading voice for quality, affordable, and accessible health care. During the health reform debate, Congresswoman Edwards fought to end gender discrimination by insurance companies so pregnancy and domestic violence were no longer considered pre-existing conditions, make screening and preventative care for women part of coverage with no co-pays or deductibles, and reduce health disparities. She championed a key provision in the Affordable Care Act to prevent price gouging by enabling states to review private insurers’ premium increases to determine if they are excessive or unjustified, while holding insurance companies accountable. To date, this simple provision has been used to save consumers millions of dollars. With Republicans attempting to undermine health care reform at every turn, Congresswoman Edwards understands that her provision and additional efforts to provide affordable, quality, and accessible health care are critical for working families in Maryland’s 4th Congressional District and looks forward to continue those efforts in the 113th Congress.

Protecting Social Security
The fight to protect Social Security for seniors and future generations is of the utmost importance for Maryland’s 4th Congressional District, which currently has over 77,000 recipients. Rep. Edwards led the fight to protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid during the debt ceiling crisis negotiations by authoring a letter to President Obama with 69 other Members of Congress urging no benefit reductions. She has continued that effort by joining with her colleagues to urge the Members of the Deficit Super Committee not to cut these programs that are a lifeline for millions of Americans.

My DFA values:

Coming Soon

My Campaign is People-Powered!

Before coming to Congress, Congresswoman Edwards enjoyed a long career as a noprofit public interest advocate and grassroots organizer. Congresswoman Edwards used those experiences in each of her previous campaigns, and will continue to do so in 2012. First, we are strengthening our large volunteer organization, allowing the campaign to reach out directly to discuss issues and policies with residents in Maryland’s 4th Congressional District. Second, Congresswoman Edwards’ campaign is supported by Americans from throughout the Congressional District and across the country. People who share her progressive values and see her as a leading voice in Congress on behalf of working Americans. During her time in Congress, Congresswoman Edwards has been a leader in using new media (Facebook, Twitter, blogs, tele-town halls) to reach people where they are and on issues of the day.