Background

Edwards was elected as the State Senator for Maryland District 1 in 2006, which covers Garrett County and parts of Washington and Allegany counties. He defeated Thomas Conlon, both of whom ran for the seat vacated by John J. Hafer

John J. Hafer

John J. Hafer represented District 1 in the Maryland Senate, which covers Garrett, Allegany, and Washington Counties. He retired from office in 2007.-Education:...

 who retired after 16 years in the State Senate.

Education

Edwards attended Northern High School

Northern High School (Accident, Maryland)

Northern Garrett High School a four-year public secondary education school located in Accident, Maryland, USA that houses approximately 500 students from the northern end of Garrett County. It is part of the Garrett County Public Schools school district. The school mascot is the husky, and the...

 in Accident, MD. He received his B.S. in business administration from Fairmont State College, cum laude in 1970. He later attended Frostburg State University

Frostburg State University

Frostburg State University is a four-year university located on a campus in Frostburg, Maryland, in Western Maryland, and is part of the University System of Maryland. FSU is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.-History:...

 to get his teacher's certificate.

Career

After college, Edwards was drafted by the Baltimore Colts

History of the Indianapolis Colts

The Indianapolis Colts are a professional football team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They play in the AFC South division of the National Football League. They have won 3 NFL championships and 2 Super Bowls....

. He served in the National Guard

United States National Guard

The National Guard of the United States is a reserve military force composed of state National Guard militia members or units under federally recognized active or inactive armed force service for the United States. Militia members are citizen soldiers, meaning they work part time for the National...

 for six years. He has been active in Garrett County Economic Development Corporation and the Maryland Association of Counties.

Edwards was first elected to the Maryland House of Delegates

Maryland House of Delegates

The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland, and is composed of 141 Delegates elected from 47 districts. The House chamber is located in the state capitol building on State Circle in Annapolis...

 in 1982 and served for 24 years before running and winning the State Senate seat. As a member of the House of Delegates, Edwards was the Minority Leader from 2003-07.

He is a member of the National Rifle Association

National Rifle Association

The National Rifle Association of America is an American non-profit 501 civil rights organization which advocates for the protection of the Second Amendment of the United States Bill of Rights and the promotion of firearm ownership rights as well as marksmanship, firearm safety, and the protection...

, the Lions Club, the American Legion

American Legion

The American Legion is a mutual-aid organization of veterans of the United States armed forces chartered by the United States Congress. It was founded to benefit those veterans who served during a wartime period as defined by Congress...

, and the Fraternal Order of Police

Fraternal Order of Police

The Fraternal Order of Police is an organization of sworn law enforcement officers in the United States. It claims a membership of over 325,000 members organized in 2100 local chapters , organized into local lodges, state lodges, and the national Grand Lodge...

.

Election results

• 2006 Race for Maryland State Senate – District 1

  Name	Votes	Percent	Outcome
  George C. Edwards, Rep.	25,365	72.7%	Won
  Thomas Conlon, Dem.	9,489	27.2%	Lost
  Other Write-Ins	19	0.1%	Lost

• 2002 Race for Maryland House of Delegates – District 1A

  Name	Votes	Percent	Outcome
  George C. Edwards, Rep.	10,303	99.4%	Won
  Other Write-Ins	58	0.6%	Lost

• 1998 Race for Maryland House of Delegates – District 1A

  Name	Votes	Percent	Outcome
  George C. Edwards, Rep.	7,999	83%	Won
  Lawson L. Duckworth, Dem.	1,670	17%	Lost

• 1994 Race for Maryland House of Delegates – District 1A

  Name	Votes	Percent	Outcome
  George C. Edwards, Rep.	8,155	100%	Won

• 1990 Race for Maryland House of Delegates – District 1A

  Name	Votes	Percent	Outcome
  George C. Edwards, Rep.	5,506	100%	Won

• 1986 Race for Maryland House of Delegates – District 1A

  Name	Votes	Percent	Outcome
  George C. Edwards, Rep.	5,648	100%	Won

Legislative notes

• voted against the Healthy Air Act in 2006 (SB154)http://mlis.state.md.us/2006rs/votes/house/0942.htm
• voted for slots in 2005 (HB1361)http://mlis.state.md.us/2005rs/votes/house/0152.htm
• voted for electric deregulation
  Maryland Electric Deregulation
  Maryland Electric Deregulation is the result of a bill passed in 1999 by the Maryland General Assembly. This bill changed the entire face of the Maryland utility industry.The past several years have seen a flurry of changes in the energy industry in Maryland...
  
   in 1999 (HB703)http://mlis.state.md.us/1999rs/votes/house/0870.htm
• voted for income tax reduction in 1998 (SB750)http://mlis.state.md.us/1998rs/votes/house/1229.htm

External links

• http://www.msa.md.gov/msa/mdmanual/05sen/html/msa12217.html