Abstract The paper discusses Congressman Chet Edwards who has served in the House of Representatives and currently represents the 17th Congressional District in Texas. The writer examines Edwards' voting records and considers Edwards a middle-of-the-road, conservative democrat. The paper demonstrates that Edwards' voting record reflects the demographics of the region which is ethnically diverse, rooted in traditional industries like transportation and agriculture, and also boasts a substantial number of young college-age voters who tend toward liberalism. The paper concludes that Congressman Chet Edwards' narrow win in the last election, could explain his shift in recent voting behavior on liberal issues.
From the Paper "Edwards' pro-labor voting record also coincides with Democratic Party values. Congressman Edwards has slipped slightly in his accordance with the liberal values espoused by Americans for Democratic Action but generally can be considered an emblematic democrat. However, Edwards' record on environmental issues shows that he veers far from left-leaning democrats regarding the conflict between certain sectors of business (energy and construction for example) and environmental protection."
