Eddie Edwards (politician)

Eddie Edwards is an American politician and businessman who is the Republican Party's 2018 candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives from the first district of New Hampshire. John Fund of Fox News has described him as “an outspoken African-American conservative.” He is a resident of Dover, New Hampshire.
Early life and education
Edwards was born in Atlanta, Georgia. He has credited his grandmother with helping to shape his character. “She just taught me the values of this country. She taught me how to love, how to forgive, how to be responsible and believe in independence and self-reliance. You want something in life, you work hard for it” he said.
He received an AA in Criminal Justice from the New Hampshire Technical Institute in 2005 and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Northcentral University. In 2006, he graduated with a degree in Constitutional Law and Labor Law from National Federal Bureau of Investigation Academy in Quantico, Virginia. He earned a Diploma of Management in the Strategic Management of Regulatory & Enforcement Agencies from the Kennedy School of Executive Education at Harvard University.
Career
Edwards is a Navy veteran.
He began working at the New Hampshire Liquor Commission Enforcement Division in 1995. He became its law enforcement chief in 2005, a position he held until 2013. He reportedly “became a vital part of reforming and establishing high ethical standards” in the division. In a 2018 interview with the Union Leader, Edwards said that during his nearly eight years at the State Liquor Commission, his superiors “used his race to try and control him” and engaged in “a pattern of discrimination.” He said that one superior told him, “We aren't used to black people having power in this state.” In 2009, he filed a complaint with the Human Rights Commission and won a $160,000 settlement.
He was the police chief for the town of South Hampton from 2013 to 2014.
He is the founder of Eddie Edwards Consulting, which works with small businesses on regulatory compliance. It was founded in 2013 and is based in Dover, New Hampshire.
In 2014, Edwards ran unsuccessfully for the New Hampshire State Senate from District 4. He worked in the Manchester district office of U.S. Rep. Frank Guinta, who was in Congress from 2015 to 2017. In the 2016 New Hampshire presidential primary, he was a state co-chairman for Dr. Ben Carson.
House of Representatives
On April 5, 2018, Edwards announced his candidacy for the U.S. House of Representatives from New Hampshire's first district.
During the campaign, Edwards praised Donald Trump's accomplishments as president. Edwards said that Trump was “doing one hell of a job in Washington” and “it’s about time we had a president who understood the values of our country and stood up for our country.” Edwards supported the GOP tax cut bill that was signed into law by President Trump. On health care, he criticizes Republicans in Congress for not scrapping Obamacare.
Calling Edwards a “strong conservative who believes in low taxes and is a supporter of the ‘America First’ agenda of President Trump,” Rudy Giuliani endorsed Edwards at an August 1 event in Portsmouth. “This is the kind of person we need, a new person to the party, a new voice for very strong principles that have guided New Hampshire and guided the party,” Giuliani said. On September 11, 2018, Edwards won the GOP primary.
Other activities
Edwards has served as an instructor at PIRE National Leadership Institute on Underage Drinking Enforcement since 2008. He has been co-chair of the New Hampshire Disproportionate Minority Contact Committee since 2007. He is a gubernatorial appointee to the Federal Advisory on Juvenile Justice and to the New Hampshire State Advisory Group on Juvenile Justice, and also serves as chair of the Governor's Advisory Group on Juvenile Justice. He is a member of the board of Partnership for a Drug-Free New Hampshire Board and a member of the board of Easter Seals-Veterans Count.From 2009 to 2015, he was a member of the board of the New Hampshire Endowment for Health. From 2011 to 2013 he sat on the Legal Conference Planning Committee of the National Alcoholic Beverage Control Association. In 2008 he sat on the New Hampshire Legislative Study Commission on Street Gangs, and in 2007 he sat on the Governor's Crime Commission.
Honors and awards
In 2001, Edwards was named New Hampshire Bureau of Liquor Enforcement Investigator of the Year. In 2008, he was one of the Top Forty Leaders in New Hampshire under Forty. In 2012 he won the Spirit of America Award and the Patriot Citizen Award. In 2013 he received the Governor Maggie Hassan Commendation and the award for Outstanding Service in the Field of Highway Safety. In 2014 he was awarded the New Hampshire Police Standards & Training Council Commendation for commitment to fairness, equality and adherence to the highest standards of law enforcement.

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