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Representative Thomas 'Chet' Edwards (TX)

Current Office: U.S. House
Current District: 17
First Elected: 11/06/1990
Last Elected: 11/04/2008
Next Election: 2010
Party: Democratic



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How to Interpret these Evaluations

Disclaimer: Descriptions of organizations are derived from the mission statement or description produced by each organization. Project Vote Smart does not evaluate or edit these descriptions.

Gun Issues

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2008  In 2008 National Rifle Association gave Representative Edwards a grade of A, in its scorecard for candidates seeking office in 2008.

2007  In 2007 Gun Owners of America gave Representative Edwards a grade of D.

2006  Representative Edwards supported the interests of the Gun Owners of America 100 percent in 2006.

2006  Based on lifetime voting records on gun issues and the results of a questionnaire sent to all Congressional candidates in 2006, the National Rifle Association assigned Representative Edwards a grade of B (with grades ranging from a high of A+ to a low of F).

2005  Representative Edwards supported the interests of the Gun Owners of America 50 percent in 2005.

2004  Based on lifetime voting records on gun issues and the results of a questionnaire sent to all Congressional candidates in 2004, the National Rifle Association assigned Representative Edwards a grade of C- (with grades ranging from a high of A+ to a low of F).

2003-2004  Representative Edwards supported the interests of the Gun Owners of America 10 percent in 2003-2004.

2003  Representative Edwards supported the interests of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence 55 percent from 1988-2003 (Senate) or 1991-2003 (House).

2003  Representative Edwards supported the interests of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence 0 percent in 2003.

2003  In 2003 Gun Owners of America gave Representative Edwards a grade of F.

2002  On the votes that the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence considered to be the most important as of 2002, Representative Edwards voted their preferred position 58 percent of the time. These scores are cumulative for each representative's time in their current office. The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence considered votes from 1988-2002 in the House and 1991-2002 in the Senate when determining these scores.

2002  Based on lifetime voting records on gun issues and the results of a questionnaire sent to all Congressional candidates in 2002, the National Rifle Association assigned Representative Edwards a grade of F (with grades ranging from a high of A+ to a low of F).

2001-2002  Based on the results of a questionnaire the Gun Owners of America assigned Representative Edwards a grade of F (with grades ranging from a high of A+ to a low of F-).

2001  Representative Edwards supported the interests of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence 0 percent in 2001.

2000  Based on lifetime voting records on gun issues and the results of a questionnaire sent to all Congressional candidates in 2000, the National Rifle Association assigned Representative Edwards a grade of F (with grades ranging from a high of A+ to a low of F).

1999-2000  Representative Edwards supported the interests of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence 100 percent in 1999-2000.

1999-2000  Based on the results of a questionnaire the Gun Owners of America assigned Representative Edwards a grade of F (with grades ranging from a high of A+ to a low of F-).

1993-1994  Representative Edwards supported the interests of the National Rifle Association 25 percent in 1993-1994.

1990-1996  On the votes that the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence considered to be the most important in 1990-1996 , Representative Edwards voted their preferred position 44 percent of the time.

1988-2008  Based on lifetime voting records on gun issues and the results of a questionnaire sent to all candidates from 1988-2008, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence assigned Representative Edwards a grade of 40 percent.

1987-1999  Representative Edwards supported the interests of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence 57 percent in 1987-1999.

How to Interpret these Evaluations:
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Project Vote Smart collects performance evaluations from special interest groups who provide them, regardless of issue or bias. If you have any comments concerning performance evaluations or know of a group that provides ratings not included here, please contact us at ratings@vote-smart.org.

Keep in mind that ratings done by special interest groups are biased. They do not represent a non-partisan stance. In addition, some groups select votes that tend to favor members of one political party over another, rather than choosing votes based solely on issues concerns. Nevertheless, they can be invaluable in showing where an incumbent has stood on a series of votes in the past one or two years, especially when ratings by groups on all sides of an issue are compared. Website links, if available, and descriptions of the organizations offering performance evaluations are accessible by clicking on the name of the group.

Most performance evaluations are displayed in a percentage format. However, some organizations present their ratings in the form of a letter grade or endorsement based on voting records, interviews, survey results and/or sources of campaign funding. For consistency, Project Vote Smart converts all scores into a percentage when possible. Please visit the group's website or call 1-888-VOTESMART for more specific information.

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