Chet Edwards

Last updated
Chet Edwards's voice
Edwards speaks on designating the Waco Mammoth site as a national monument
Recorded July 27, 2009
Chet Edwards
111edwardsc-tx17.jpg
Edwards in 2008
Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
from Texas
In office
January 3, 1991 –January 3, 2011

Thomas Chester Edwards (born November 24, 1951) is an American politician who was a United States Representative from Texas, representing a district based in Waco, from 1991 to 2011. Previously, he served in the Texas Senate from 1983 to 1990. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Edwards was on Barack Obama's vice presidential shortlist in 2008. [1]

Contents

Early life and education

A Waco resident, Edwards was born in Corpus Christi. He graduated magna cum laude [2] from Texas A&M University in 1974, earning a bachelor's degree in economics. One of his professors was future U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator Phil Gramm. Upon graduation, he received the Earl Rudder Award, which is given to two outstanding seniors. [3] Edwards was the Chairman of the 18th MSC Student Conference on National Affairs Conference, where he helped to bring Vice President Walter Mondale and businessman Ross Perot to campus.

Early career

After graduation, Edwards worked as an aide to Congressman Olin E. Teague for three years. [3] This mentorship later influenced Edwards’ work in Congress on Veterans Affairs. [4] When Teague announced his retirement in 1978, Edwards ran in the Democratic primary to succeed him. He lost by only 115 votes to his former professor, Phil Gramm, [5] who switched to Republican affiliation in 1983. [6]

In 1981, Edwards earned his MBA from Harvard Business School. He then went to work for the Trammell Crow Company as a commercial real estate agent. Later, Edwards purchased several rural radio stations in South Texas.

Texas Senate

Edwards was elected to the Texas Senate in 1983, and served until 1990, representing District 9. He was the youngest member at age 30. In the Texas Senate, Edwards was a member of the Senate Education Committee which oversaw class size reduction in public schools. He was also on the Health and Human Resources Committee, chaired the Senate Nominations Committee, the Texas Sunset Commission, a joint commission which reviews state agencies on a 12-year rotation, and the Texas Election Code Revision Committee. Edwards was also a member of the Committee on Business, Technology, and Education. He received the “Texas Business” award during the 68th Regular Session as one of three outstanding freshman legislators, and was named by Texas Monthly as one of the "Ten Outstanding Legislators" during his tenure. [3] [4]

U.S. House of Representatives

Committee assignments

Edwards served as a member on the House Budget Committee, the Appropriations Committee, and the Financial Services Appropriations Subcommittee and vice chair of the Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee. He also chaired the House Army Caucus. After becoming Chairman of the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee in 2007, Edwards authored a $17.7 billion increase in funding for veterans health care and benefits, the largest increase in veterans funding in the history of the Veterans Administration. He also assisted in enacting the 21st Century GI Bill of Rights into law, covering the full cost of a college education for troops. In 2008, both the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars recognized Edwards' leadership with their national awards. In 2007, he received the Marix Congressional Achievement Award from the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) in recognition of his work. In 2006, Edwards was honored with the Award of Merit, the highest award given by the Military Coalition, which represents 36 military and veteran groups. In 2003, the Association of the U.S. Army gave Edwards its "Legislator of the Year Award." He was co-chair of the House Army Caucus for over a decade and served on the House Armed Services and Veterans Affairs Committees for six years before joining the Appropriations Committee. [7]

Political positions

Edwards is a moderate Democrat according to a nonpartisan organization GovTrack. He was also a leader in the House of Representatives. [8]

However, he has stated his opposition to caps on medical malpractice lawsuits.[ citation needed ] He voted for the Iraq Resolution.

Fiscal policy

Edwards opposed the 2001 federal tax cuts and voted against eliminating the marriage penalty and estate tax. He voted for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

In 2001, he opposed cuts of $100 million to the nuclear non-proliferation budget proposed by the Bush administration. Serving as a member on the Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee, Edwards oversaw homeland defense and university research programs to protect Americans from the threat of nuclear terrorism. Edwards supported the implementation of the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission and, in 2003, helped secure $84 million to install radiological detectors at the busiest foreign ports so nuclear materials could be detected overseas before reaching America. Edwards is known as a fiscal conservative. The non-partisan Concord Coalition gave him its "Deficit Hawk" Award. His pro-economic, pro-agriculture record also earned him endorsements from both the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Farm Bureau Friends of Agriculture Fund (AGFUND). The U.S. Chamber of Commerce gave him their "Spirit of Enterprise" Award for several years for his support of business. Edwards voted with the NRA 100% on gun rights issues for many years and received the NRA's endorsement. [7]

Social policy

Edwards traditionally votes against same-sex marriage. He has voted in favor of Constitutional amendments to ban same-sex marriage, as well as to define marriage one-man-one-woman, and holds a 25% rating from the Human Rights Campaign. [9] Edwards voted against ending preferential treatment by race in college admissions and received an 83% rating from the NAACP in 2006. [9] Edwards has received an "A" by the NRA Political Victory Fund. [10] [11]

Edwards supported increased access to health care for children of working families under the State Children's Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP). Edwards was honored by the Baptist Joint Committee, and earned the Walter Cronkite Award from the Interfaith Alliance for his principled stand to keep government regulations out of churches and houses of worship. He also received the T.B. Maston Christian Ethics Award. [7]

Political campaigns

Edwards was elected to the U.S. House in 1990 with 54 percent of the vote in what was then the 11th District, defeating Republican Hugh Shine. He was re-elected in 1992 with 67 percent of the vote, defeating Republican James Broyles. He defeated Broyles again in 1994 with 59 percent of the vote. [12]

During the 1990s, like much of rural Texas, the 11th District trended increasingly Republican. Edwards was able to hold onto his seat, though with shrinking margins. [13] In 1996, he was re-elected with 57 percent of the vote against Republican Jay Mathis. He won in 1998 without any Republican opponent. In 2000 he won with 55 percent of the vote over Ramsey Farley; in 2002, he beat Farley again, this time with 52 percent of the vote. [12] In 2000, he became President Bush's congressman; the district includes Prairie Chapel Ranch just outside Crawford, which was Bush's legal residence during his presidential term.

As part of the 2003 Texas redistricting, Edwards' district was renumbered as the 17th District and radically altered. The ethnically diverse cities of Temple and Killeen were removed, as was the Army post of Fort Hood. In their place, his district absorbed College Station, home to Texas A&M and a long-standing bastion of conservatism. It also absorbed some heavily Republican territory near Fort Worth. While Edwards' old district had been trending Republican for some time, the new district was, on paper, one of the most Republican districts in the country. Edwards defeated conservative State Representative Arlene Wohlgemuth in November 2004 by 9,260 votes, or approximately a 3.8% margin. Proving just how Republican the new 17th district was, Bush carried it with a staggering 70 percent of the vote—the most of any Democratic-held district, and Bush's 17th-best district in the entire country. Edwards was one of two Democrats to represent a significant portion of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex in Congress, along with Eddie Bernice Johnson. In much of the district, Edwards was the only elected Democrat above the county level. It was generally understood that he would be succeeded by a Republican when he retired.

In 2006, Edwards ran for reelection against Republican Van Taylor, a former Marine Corps reservist and Iraq War veteran, and was re-elected with 58% of the vote to Taylor's 40%. [14]

Edwards speaks during the third night of the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado. Chet Edwards DNC 2008.jpg
Edwards speaks during the third night of the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado.

On February 18, 2008, Edwards officially endorsed Barack Obama in the Texas March 4 Democratic primary. [15] In late June 2008, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi publicly suggested that Edwards would be a great choice as Obama's vice-presidential running mate. [16] Edwards stated that he would accept such an offer from Obama. [17] On August 22, the Associated Press reported that Edwards was on Obama's short-list as a potential running-mate. [1]

2008

In November 2008, Edwards was reelected, defeating Republican Rob Curnock, a Waco video business owner, with 53 percent of the vote. [18] John McCain carried the 17th with 67 percent of the vote.

2010

Edwards was challenged by Republican nominee Bill Flores, a retired Bryan oil and gas executive.

Edwards was endorsed by the Dallas Morning News [19] and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram . [20]

Nate Silver in the FiveThirtyEight.com New York Times blog predicted that there was a 4.7% chance that Edwards would defeat Flores. [21] Real Clear Politics rated this race "Likely Republican". [22]

On November 2, 2010, Edwards was heavily defeated, taking 37 percent of the vote to Flores's 62 percent. He lost his home county of McLennan. [23] [24] [25] This was the largest margin of defeat for a Democratic incumbent in the 2010 cycle. Edwards's term ended on January 3, 2011.

Personal life

Since leaving Congress in 2011, Edwards has established Edwards, Davis Stover & Associates, LLC with his former chief of staff, Lindsey Davis Stover, and continues to be involved with veterans issues in the Washington, D.C. area through his work on the boards of the Military Child Education Coalition and the Arlington National Cemetery Advisory Commission. [7] He is married to Lea Ann Wood from Paducah, Kentucky. They have two sons, J.T. and Garrison. He was raised a Methodist. [26]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Boozman</span> American politician and optometrist (born 1950)

John Nichols Boozman is an American politician and former optometrist serving as the senior United States senator from Arkansas, a seat he has held since 2011. A member of the Republican Party, he was the U.S. representative for Arkansas's 3rd congressional district from 2001 to 2011. He is the dean of Arkansas's congressional delegation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dennis Moore (politician)</span> American politician and lawyer (1945–2021)

Dennis Moore was an American politician and lawyer, a "Blue Dog" centrist who served for six terms as a U.S. Representative for Kansas's 3rd congressional district, from 1999 until 2011. He was a member of the Kansas Democratic Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Michaud</span> American politician (born 1955)

Michael Herman Michaud is an American businessman and politician from Maine. Michaud served as the U.S. representative for Maine's 2nd congressional district from 2003 to 2015. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The primarily rural district comprises nearly 80% of the state by area and includes the cities of Lewiston, Auburn, Bangor, Presque Isle, and Ellsworth. It is the largest Congressional district by area east of the Mississippi River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Latham (politician)</span> American politician (born 1948)

Thomas Paul Latham is an American politician who served as a U.S. representative for Iowa from 1995 to 2015. He is a member of the Republican Party. On December 17, 2013, Latham announced he would not seek reelection next term, becoming the third member of the U.S. House to announce his retirement on the same day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Holden</span> American politician (born 1957)

Thomas Timothy Holden is an American politician from Pennsylvania who served as a Democratic U.S. representative for Pennsylvania's 17th congressional district from 1993 to 2013. Holden was the dean of the Pennsylvania Congressional Delegation during the 112th United States Congress. On April 24, 2012, Holden was defeated in the Democratic primary in his attempt to seek re-election after the boundaries of his district were redrawn. He is now chairman of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Spratt</span> American politician (born 1942)

John McKee Spratt Jr. is an American politician who was the U.S. representative for South Carolina's 5th congressional district from 1983 to 2011. The 5th Congressional District covers all or part of 14 counties in north-central South Carolina. The largest cities are Rock Hill and Sumter. He is a member of the Democratic Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Stockman</span> American politician (born 1956)

Stephen Ernest Stockman is an American politician who is a member of the Republican Party and a convicted felon. He served as the U.S. representative for Texas's 9th congressional district from 1995 to 1997 and for Texas's 36th congressional district from 2013 to 2015. Stockman ran in the Republican primary for the United States Senate in the 2014 election but lost to incumbent Senator John Cornyn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Culberson</span> American attorney and politician (born 1956)

John Abney Culberson is an American attorney and politician who served in the United States House of Representatives from 2001 to 2019. A Republican, he served in Texas's 7th congressional district in large portions of western Houston and surrounding Harris County. In his 2018 re-election campaign, he was defeated by Democrat Lizzie Fletcher. He subsequently began work as a lobbyist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ciro Rodriguez</span> American politician (born 1946)

Ciro Davis Rodriguez is an American politician and social worker who served as a U.S. Representative for Texas's 23rd congressional district, serving from 2007 until 2011. The district stretched from El Paso in the west to San Antonio in the east, a distance of some 500 miles (800 km). A member of the Democratic Party, he previously represented the neighboring 28th congressional district from 1997 to 2005, and was a member of the Texas House of Representatives from 1987 to 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Boren</span> American politician

David Daniel Boren is an American businessman and politician who is the Secretary of Commerce for the Chickasaw Nation, based in Oklahoma. He is a retired American politician, who served as the U.S. representative for Oklahoma's 2nd congressional district from 2005 to 2013. The district included most of the eastern part of the state outside of Tulsa. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He also served as a State Representative in the 28th district of the Oklahoma House of Representatives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texas's 17th congressional district</span> U.S. House district for Texas

Texas's 17th congressional district of the United States House of Representatives includes a strip of Central Texas and Deep East Texas stretching from Nacogdoches to Waco and Round Rock, including former President George W. Bush's McLennan County ranch. The district is currently represented by Republican Pete Sessions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Amodei</span> American politician (born 1958)

Mark Eugene Amodei is an American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Nevada's 2nd congressional district since 2011. The only Republican in Nevada's congressional delegation since 2019, Amodei served in the Nevada Assembly from 1997 to 1999 and in the Nevada Senate, representing the Capital District, from 1999 to 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rick Boucher</span> American politician (born 1946)

Frederick Carlyle Boucher is an American politician who was the U.S. representative for Virginia's 9th congressional district from 1983 to 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He was defeated in his bid for a 15th term by Republican Morgan Griffith in the 2010 elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Carter (Texas politician)</span> American politician (born 1941)

John Rice Carter is the U.S. representative serving Texas's 31st congressional district since 2003. He is a Republican. The district includes the northern suburbs of Austin, as well as Fort Cavazos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Yoder</span> American politician (born 1976)

Kevin Wayne Yoder is an American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives for Kansas's 3rd congressional district from 2011 to 2019. A Republican, Yoder was the Kansas State Representative for the 20th district from 2003 to 2011. In his 2018 reelection bid, he was defeated by Democrat Sharice Davids by a nine percent margin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas</span>

The 2010 U.S. congressional elections in Texas were held on November 2, 2010, to determine who will represent the state of Texas in the United States House of Representatives. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected served in the 112th Congress from January 2011 until January 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Flores</span> American politician (born 1954)

William Hose Flores Sr. is an American businessman, the Vice Chair of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), as well as the interim Chair of ERCOT.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Duncan (politician)</span> American politician (born 1966)

Jeffrey Darren Duncan is a United States representative for South Carolina's 3rd congressional district since 2011. His district comprises nine counties, two of these counties being manufacturing centers for the state. On January 17, 2024, Duncan announced that he would not run for re-election. Duncan previously served in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 2002 to 2010 when he retired to run for the U.S. House of Representatives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bruce Westerman</span> American politician (born 1967)

Bruce Eugene Westerman is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for Arkansas's 4th congressional district. Previously, he served as member and the majority leader of the Arkansas House of Representatives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Cloud</span> American politician (born 1975)

Michael Jonathan Cloud is an American politician representing Texas's 27th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives since 2018. He is a member of the Republican Party.

References

  1. 1 2 Pickler, Nedra; Sidoti, Liz (August 22, 2010). "Obama prepares to name veep". Associated Press. Archived from the original on October 12, 2012. Retrieved November 22, 2010.
  2. ↑ Woolstrum, Anthony (2004-01-23). "Edwards runs for new district slot". The Battalion . Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2007-03-25.
  3. 1 2 3 "Congressman Chet Edwards — Bio". United States House. Archived from the original on 2007-02-28. Retrieved 2007-03-25.
  4. 1 2 Thomas Chester “Chet” Edwards State Legislative Papers #8, Baylor Collections of Political Materials, W. R. Poage Legislative Library, Baylor University.
  5. ↑ "Chet Edwards: The Veep Who Wasn't". Time. August 27, 2008. Archived from the original on August 31, 2008. Retrieved April 28, 2010.
  6. ↑ "AllPolitics - Congressional Races - Texas District 11". CNN. Archived from the original on May 22, 2011. Retrieved April 28, 2010.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Thomas Chester “Chet” Edwards U.S. House of Representatives Papers #8A, Baylor Collections of Political Materials, W. R. Poage Legislative Library, Baylor University.
  8. ↑ "Thomas "Chet" Edwards, former U.S. Representative for Texas's 17th Congressional District - GovTrack.us". GovTrack.us.
  9. 1 2 On the Issues - Chet Edwards
  10. ↑ "Project Vote Smart - Representative Thomas 'Chet' Edwards - Interest Group Ratings". Votesmart.org. Retrieved 2010-07-12.
  11. ↑ Kasie Hunt (August 9, 2010). "NRA chooses Edwards in Texas". Politico . Archived from the original on December 2, 2019. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  12. 1 2 "Washington Post profile of Chet Edwards, 2004". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 6, 2008.
  13. ↑ "Edwards, T. Chester "Chet"". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 2007-03-25.
  14. ↑ "U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES / TEXAS 17". CNN. Retrieved 2007-03-25.
  15. ↑ Brendel, Patrick (February 18, 2008). "Chet Edwards Endorses Barack Obama". Houston Chronicle . Archived from the original on July 7, 2012. Retrieved November 22, 2010.
  16. ↑ Haddad, Tammy (June 24, 2010). "TamCam Exclusive: Speaker Pelosi". Newsweek . Retrieved November 22, 2010.
  17. ↑ Watkins, Matthew (June 3, 2010). "Edwards would take VP offer". The Eagle . Archived from the original on October 7, 2008. Retrieved November 22, 2010.
  18. ↑ David Doerr, "Republican, two Libertarians file to vie with Democrat Edwards for congressional seat" [ permanent dead link ], Waco Tribune-Herald, January 3, 2008
  19. ↑ "We recommend Edwards in 17th District". Dallas Morning News. October 7, 2010.
  20. ↑ "Nov. 2 election recommendation: Chet Edwards in U.S. House District 17". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. October 11, 2010.
  21. ↑ Silver, Nate (2010-10-20). "FiveThirtyEight Forecasts Texas 17th District". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-10-22.
  22. ↑ "Texas 17th District - Flores vs. Edwards". Real Clear Politics . 2010-10-24. Retrieved 2010-10-24. Likely GOP
  23. ↑ "2010 General Election, Election Night Returns, Unofficial Elections Results As Of: 11/3/2010 12:14:58 PM". Texas Secretary of State. 2010-11-03. Retrieved 2010-11-22.[ permanent dead link ]
  24. ↑ "Chet Edwards ousted after 20 years in Congress | AP Texas Politics | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle". Archived from the original on 2010-11-12.
  25. ↑ "Chet Edwards ousted after 20 years in Congress". KXXV . AP. November 2, 2010. Archived from the original on March 13, 2012.
  26. ↑ "Congressman Chet Edwards - Bio". Archived from the original on 2010-11-03.
Texas Senate
Preceded by Member of the Texas Senate
from the 9th district
1983–1991		Succeeded by
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Texas's 11th congressional district
1991–2005		Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Texas's 17th congressional district
2005–2011		Succeeded by
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded byas Former US Representative Order of precedence of the United States
as Former US Representative		Succeeded byas Former US Representative
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.