Donna Edwards tapped into the fundraising power of the Internet to score an upset victory in the Democratic primary earlier this year. Now, after winning a special election against her Republican opponent on June 17th, she will be the first African-American woman to represent Maryland in the US House of Representatives. She is also the first female Democrat elected to the House of Representatives from Maryland in 15 years. She has been endorsed by leading progressive environmental, labor, education, and women's organizations and has been a staunch opponent of the war in Iraq. She was up for reelection in November 2008 and we'll support her return to Congress in 2009.

Since 2000 she has been the Executive Director of The Arca Foundation, a group dedicated to the pursuit of social equity and justice. In this role she has gained national prominence as a strategist and creator of innovative efforts to support "living wage" campaigns, ensure the independence of the federal judiciary, end capital punishment, protect Social Security, and support labor and human rights internationally.

Her positions on Israel and the Middle East are closely aligned with JStreetPAC's positions. During her primary campaign against Al Wynn, Edwards ran on an anti-Iraq war platform, having opposed the war from the start. Her website states that "the U.S. should not cease in its efforts to achieve a two-state solution in which Israel's neighbors recognize Israel's right to exist as a Jewish and democratic state, living in security alongside an independent and autonomous Palestinian state" and that "resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict should be pursued in parallel to diplomatic engagement that must take place with Iran, Syria and Arab allies." She also believes that "Israel and the United States share a common bond based on common values."

JStreetPAC was happy to have Donna Edwards in our first group of candidate endorsements and we was excited to welcome her to Congress in 2009.

Learn more about and support other JStreetPAC endorsed candidates here.