Amanda Edwards

Amanda Edwards is from Houston, Texas. She has a bachelor's degree in political science from Emory University and a law degree from Harvard Law School. She attends St. Monica Catholic Church in Acres Homes.

Meet Amanda Edwards: The People’s Candidate for Texas’ 18th Congressional District

Amanda is a municipal finance attorney at Vinson & Elkins LLP and Bracewell LLP. Previously, where she clerked for Federal District Court Judge Ivan Lemelle and founded Project NOW: The New Orleans Writing Project.

Amanda Edwards to run to succeed the late-US Rep Sylvester Turner

Amanda previously served on the Houston City Council from 2016 to 2020. She ran for U.S. Senate in 2020, Houston mayor in 2023, and Texas's Congressional District 18 in 2024 but did not win. 

Supports strengthening the rights of workers to unionize and collectively bargain.

Supports strengthening workers' rights to unionize and collectively bargain.

Supports increasing the minimum wage to a "true living wage."

Supports expanding access to capital, training, and other resources for small business owners.

Supports creating job opportunities by expanding apprenticeship programs and modernizing job training.

Supports expanding federal housing planning and incentivizing new housing construction to "right-size" the housing supply.

Supports expanding federal housing planning and incentivizing new housing construction to increase the housing supply.

Supports developing solutions to protect residents from gentrification and displacement, and advocates for increased resources for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) programs.

Opposes cuts to federal programs like SNAP and healthcare.

- Supports strengthening workers' rights to unionize and collectively bargain.
- Supports increasing the minimum wage to a "true living wage."
- Supports expanding access to capital, training, and other resources for small business owners.
- Supports creating job opportunities by expanding apprenticeship programs and modernizing job training.
- Supports expanding federal housing planning and incentivizing new housing construction to increase the housing supply.
- Supports developing solutions to protect residents from gentrification and displacement, and advocates for increased resources for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) programs.
- Opposes cuts to federal programs like SNAP and healthcare.

Economy

Supports gun control measures, including mandatory background checks and a federal red flag law.

Supports community-led training for law enforcement, expanding community violence intervention programs, and advocates for the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.

Supports community-led training for law enforcement, expanding community violence intervention programs, and advocates for the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which would ban chokeholds, limit military equipment, and mandate body cameras.

Supports protecting people seeking abortion care from being "stalked or hunted."

Supports ensuring disaster systems have necessary funding and resources to protect and restore communities.

- Supports gun control measures, including mandatory background checks and a federal red flag law.
- Supports community-led training for law enforcement, expanding community violence intervention programs, and advocates for the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which would ban chokeholds, limit military equipment, and mandate body cameras.
- Supports protecting people seeking abortion care from being "stalked or hunted."
- Supports ensuring disaster systems have necessary funding and resources to protect and restore communities.

Public Safety

Supports preserving Medicare and Social Security.

Supports universal healthcare access, including closing gaps in the Affordable Care Act and lowering prescription drug and insurance premiums.

Supports expanding HIPAA to protect private medical decisions, particularly women's reproductive health.

Supports abortion access and wants to "codify the protections of Roe v. Wade at the federal level."

Supports addressing Black maternal mortality and other disproportionate health outcomes by securing research funding and expanding access to care.

- Supports preserving Medicare and Social Security.
- Supports universal healthcare access, including closing gaps in the Affordable Care Act and lowering prescription drug and insurance premiums.
- Supports expanding HIPAA to protect private medical decisions, particularly women's reproductive health.
- Supports abortion access and wants to "codify the protections of Roe v. Wade at the federal level."
- Supports addressing Black maternal mortality and other disproportionate health outcomes by securing research funding and expanding access to care.

Healthcare

Supports reducing the costs of higher education, and advocating for community colleges and funding innovative local school initiatives.

- Supports reducing the costs of higher education, and advocating for community colleges and funding innovative local school initiatives.

Education

Supports policies that address climate change.

Supports collaboration across industries and communities to ensure Houston leads in energy transition.

Supports investing in Houston's energy industry transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy.

Supports developing "comprehensive equitable solutions for communities impacted by environmental injustice and resulting health issues, like the Fifth Ward cancer cluster."

- Supports policies that address climate change.
- Supports investing in Houston's energy industry transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy.
- Supports developing "comprehensive equitable solutions for communities impacted by environmental injustice and resulting health issues, like the Fifth Ward cancer cluster."

Energy & the Environment

Supports expanding and protecting voting rights and addressing gerrymandering that suppresses the votes of Black and Latino communities.

- Supports expanding and protecting voting rights and addressing gerrymandering that suppresses the votes of Black and Latino communities.

Voting & Elections

Believes the "foundations of our democracy are in danger" due to Trump's policies on immigration, military action against protesters, and attacks on birthright citizenship and voting rights.

- Believes the "foundations of our democracy are in danger" due to Trump's policies on immigration, military action against protesters, and attacks on birthright citizenship and voting rights.

Foreign Policy and Immigration

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- Your US Representative represents the interests of your district in the US House of Representatives, the lower house of Congress. Texas currently has 36 US Representatives.
- US Representatives can author, sponsor, debate, and vote on bills that become national law.
- Representatives may serve on congressional committees. Committees focus on certain policy areas, such as transportation, education, or labor. They may also run for higher positions within their party, such as the Speaker of the House or Majority/Minority Leader.
- Representatives are elected to two-year terms. To hold this office, a candidate must be a legal resident of Texas for at least seven years before their election. US Representatives are paid a salary of $174,000/year.