Jesse Craton "Jess" Edwards Jr. is an American politician who is a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives.[1] He represents the Rockingham 4 district, comprising the towns of Auburn, Chester, and Sandown.[2]

Jess Edwards
Edwards at the 2022 Hazlitt Summit hosted by Young Americans for Liberty Foundation
Member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives
from the Rockingham 4th district
Personal details
Political partyRepublican

Biography

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Edwards served in the United States Medical Corps, reaching the rank of lieutenant colonel and retiring in 2009.[3][2]

Political career

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Edwards is a Republican. In his third term, he was appointed to Chair Division III of the Finance Committee.[1] In 2023, Edwards endorsed Ron DeSantis for president.[4]

Political positions

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Abortion

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In 2022, Edwards advocated for the successful passage of HB1609, which created an exemption for fatal fetal diagnoses to the 24-week abortion ban law passed in 2021.[5]

Child marriage

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In 2024, Edwards argued against raising New Hampshire's minimum marriage age from 16 to 18, stating that 16- and 17-year-olds "are a ripe, fertile age and may have a pregnancy and a baby involved", in which case "marriage might be the right solution" and should be available "as a legitimate social option" to avoid "making abortion a much more desirable alternative".[6]

Personal life

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Edwards' daughter, Elizabeth, served as a state representative, and Edwards credits her service as the inspiration for his run for office.[3]

Electoral history

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2020 Rockingham District 4 General Election[7]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Jess Edwards (incumbent) 6,686 14
Republican Chris True (incumbent) 6,330 13.3
Republican Jason Osborne (incumbent) 6,235 13.1
Republican Tony Piemonte (incumbent) 5,982 12.5
Republican Oliver Ford 5,966 12.5
Democratic Michael D'Angelo 3,533 7.4
Democratic Jane Van Zandt 3,441 7.4
Democratic Matthew Krohn 3,178 6.7
Democratic Ben Geiger 3,162 6.6
Democratic Russell Normal 3,158 6.6
Total votes 47,676 100
Republican hold
Republican hold
Republican hold
Republican hold
Republican hold
2018 Rockingham District 4 General Election[7]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Chris True (incumbent) 4,416 12.6
Republican Jess Edwards (incumbent) 4,371 12.5
Republican Becky Owens 4,236 12.1
Republican Jason Osborne (incumbent) 4,093 11.7
Republican Tony Piemonte 3,948 11.3
Democratic Cynthia Herman 2,934 8.4
Democratic Todd Bedard 2,834 8.1
Democratic Patrick McLaughlin 2,784 8.0
Democratic Stephen D'Angelo 2,698 7.7
Democratic Benjamin Geiger 2,622 7.5
Total votes 34,940 100
Republican hold
Republican hold
Republican hold
Republican hold
Republican hold

References

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  1. ^ a b "Jesse Edwards". LinkedIn.
  2. ^ a b "Welcome to the NH General Court | NH General Court". www.gencourt.state.nh.us. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Sexton, Adam. "Father, daughter on opposite sides of political aisle in Concord". WMUR.
  4. ^ "Pro-DeSantis PAC claims more House GOP backers than Trump". money.yahoo.com. May 16, 2023. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  5. ^ Rayno, Garry (March 31, 2022). "Fatal Fetal Anomalies Approved As Exemption To NH Abortion Ban". indepthnh.org. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  6. ^ Manahan, Kevin. "GOP official argues in favor of child marriage: Girls are 'ripe' and 'fertile'". NJ.com. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  7. ^ a b "New Hampshire House of Representatives District Rockingham 4". Ballotpedia. Retrieved June 14, 2022.