7% from business and 31.7% from labor. Total donations from labor sectors in 2004 amount to $354,006. Business sector donations can be broken down as follows: $57,700 from agribusiness, $159,737 from miscellaneous business, $63,875 from communications and electronics, $71,300 from construction, $289,346 from finance, insurance, and real estate, and $89,400 from transportation. Edwards also receives sizeable donations from other interest groups: $272,450 from lawyers and other lobbyists, and $134,500 from leadership political action committees. $11,500 was donated by oil and gas corporations. Analysis

There are definite connections between Chet Edward's voting record and the contributions he has received from campaign donors. First, Edwards has voted against the interest of prominent environmental lobbying groups such as the League of Conservation Voters throughout the past several years of his voting history. Concurrently, Edwards has received hefty donations from industries that may be hurt through strict environmental policymaking. For example, Edwards received $71,200 from construction companies and $289, 346 from real estate industries. The construction and real estate industries are often at odds with environmental groups over land development. Oil and gas firms, which are heavily represented in the state of Texas, donated $11,500 to Edwards' campaign in 2004. Consequently, Edwards has not received sizeable contributions from environmental organizations and has not voted in accordance with environmental interests. The top two sectors donating to the Edwards campaign in 2004 were business and labor interest groups. Edwards consequentially voted heavily in favor of labor and business interests.

Edwards does generally vote along party lines, and can be...

His voting record on right-to-choose abortion issues shows that he is a social issue liberal in spite of his overt alliance with Church groups. 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.
Edwards' voting record reflects the demographics of the region, which is ethnically diverse, rooted in traditional industries like transportation and agriculture, but which also boasts a substantial number of young college-age voters who may tend toward liberalism. Edwards' committee membership directly reflects the economic and social demography of the 17 Congressional district; at one of Texas' transportation and educational hubs, Edwards sits on two of the House's most powerful committees: Appropriation and Budget. His ties with the business and labor sector make Edwards an ideal candidate for leadership in the realm of federal expenditures. His membership on these powerful House committees reflects the powerful fiscal interests of his congressional district. In many ways, Edwards straddles the line between Republican and Democrat, conservative and liberal. Moreover, Congressman Chet Edwards won narrowly in the last election, which could explain his shift in recent voting behavior on liberal issues.

Works Cited

The 17th Congressional District of Texas." Chet Edwards for Congress 2005. Retrieved 6 Nov 2005 at http://www.chetedwards.com/district_profile.htm

McLennan County Almanac Information." McLennan County. Retrieved 6 Nov 2005 at http://www.co.mclennan.tx.us/demographics/almanac.html

Representative Thomas 'Chet' Edwards (TX)" Project Vote Smart. Retrieved 6 Nov 2005 at http://www.vote-smart.org/issue_rating_category.php?can_id=H3881103&type=category&category=Liberal

Texas." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved Nov 6, 2005 at http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFFacts?_event=Search&geo_id=&_geoContext=&_street=&_county=&_cityTown=&_state=04000US48&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&pctxt=fph&pgsl=010