Maggie Edwards - candidate for president 

Candidacy Statement: I am running to be the President of the Ward 6 Democrats, and I hope to earn your support for myself and the rest of the Community First slate. 

When it came time for me to reflect about my “why?” for running, as well as my vision for the Ward 6 Dems in the next two years, I started by looking back. I first joined the Ward 6 Dems in search of a community. Quite honestly, I lurked on the email list for a year or so, and then there was a call for Steering Committee members of this new Young Dems of Ward 6 Committee. This was the perfect opportunity for me to be a part of acommunity of like minded young people committed to discussing Democratic values and issues, which I was seeking when I first signed up for the email list. And I’ve been working on ways to build that community throughout my time in leadership here in the Ward. As the current Chair of the Young Dems of Ward 6, I am proud of the work that we accomplished by continuing to grow that group, as well as the Housing Affordability Series we co-hosted with the Young Dems of Ward 2 and the Home Rule Fireside Chat that featured Prof. George Derek Musgrove. Additionally, as the current 2nd Vice President, I get to support the other work of the Ward 6 Dems such as assisting with the April 7 event with Councilmember Pinto as part of the Ward 6 Dems’ public safety series.

After reflecting on how much community is a part of my personal journey and growth in the Ward 6 Dems, I found my focus area – community. Community is going to be our north star over the next two years. And when I think about community, there are three key areas of how we’re going to focus on community – building community, cultivating a community which is centered around action, and being a presence in the larger Ward 6 community. 

As the next President of the Ward 6 Dems, I would hope to use these three focus areas to guide the work that we do. Relating to community building, I hope to create a space for Democrats in Ward 6 to be among like minded folks. When we look at the state of politics, particularly our national political environment and how that is affecting people living here in Washington, DC, we search for spaces that feel safe and where we feel seen as individuals. There are many ways to build this community, if it's through conversations about issues impacting all of us, to gathering in a more social setting. I hope to build these types of forums into our regular programming. 

In these perilous times, we could focus solely at creating this community space, but we have so much more potential. The Ward 6 Dems is a community of action, and I hope to build on that. Following the convention in June, we will be gearing up to engage voters in Virginia as part of the Ward 6 Dems’ GOTV work. I’m sure there will be countless opportunities for us to take action on issues that are facing us here locally in DC or nationally, and we will be ready to face them. 

The final piece of my community focus is being a presence in the greater Ward 6 Community. We already do a fantastic job through our quarterly #DemsCare initiative, but I can’t help but wonder if there are additional ways for us to be a presence in our own community. This past March, I had the pleasure of representing the Ward 6 Dems at Volunteer Capitol Hill hosted by The Hill Center. This was an opportunity to engage with community members who may not instantly think of the Ward 6 Dems as a place for them. I hope to find additional opportunities to shine attention on the work that we do and also give back to Ward 6. 

I am proud to be running alongside the rest of the Community First slate, which includes Dorinda White for 1st Vice President and Brandon Bradley for 2nd Vice President. These are people who have a commitment and energy to the Ward 6 Democrats that will help us achieve the vision I have set for the Ward 6 Dems over the next two years. I encourage you to take the time and read their own candidate statements about what they plan to bring to their individual roles and the leadership of the Ward 6 Dems. 

I am thankful to have this opportunity to serve you, the Democrats who call Ward 6 home. I look forward to the work that is to come, and I hope to earn your vote in the upcoming election.

Biographical Statement: Margaret Edwards first moved to Washington, DC just over six years ago, living in Ward 6 for most of her time here. She works as a government affairs professional in the world of commercial vehicle safety. Prior to moving to DC from her home state of Pennsylvania, Margaret worked as a field organizer for the PA Dems. Since then, she has pursued opportunities to be involved in her community, including serving the Ward 6 Dems as the 2nd Vice President since June 2023 and as the Chair of the Young Dems of Ward 6 since September 2022. Margaret just finished a term on the DC Young Democrats board earlier this year. She has demonstrated commitment to the Ward 6 community, evident by her involvement, both in and out of the Ward 6 Dems. Margaret is a proud Carnegie Mellon alumna and continuously gives time back to Carnegie Mellon’s Washington Semester Program.