Editing John Edwards (section)

===Policy positions===
{{update|date=April 2023}}
{{main|Political positions of John Edwards}}
Edwards promotes programs to eliminate poverty in the United States, including arguing in favor of creating one million housing vouchers over five years in order to place poor people in middle-class neighborhoods. Edwards has stated, "If we truly believe that we are all equal, then we should live together too."<ref>{{cite news |last=MacGillis |first=Alec |publication-date=May 7, 2007 |date=May 7, 2007 |title=On Poverty, Edwards Faces Old Hurdles |location=Washington, D.C. |newspaper=The Washington Post |pages=A01 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/06/AR2007050601322_pf.html |access-date=January 26, 2008 }}</ref> He also supports "College for Everyone" initiatives.
Although Edwards initially supported the Iraq War, he later changed his position and in November 2005 wrote an [[op-ed]] in ''[[The Washington Post]]'' in which he said he expressed regret for voting for the [[Iraq War Resolution]] and discussed three solutions for success in the conflict.<ref name="WashpoOpEd">{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/11/AR2005111101623.html |title=The Right Way in Iraq |author=John Edwards |newspaper=The Washington Post |page=B07 |date=November 13, 2005 |access-date=December 18, 2007}}</ref> He denounced the "[[Iraq War troop surge of 2007|troop surge]]" in Iraq, was a proponent for withdrawal, and urged Congress to withhold funding for the war without a withdrawal timetable.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/05/23/democrats.dilemma/index.html |title=Dems in tough spot with war funding bill |publisher=[[CNN]] |date=May 24, 2007 |access-date=May 24, 2007}}</ref>

On social policy, Edwards supports abortion rights and has a [[universal healthcare]] plan that requires all Americans to purchase healthcare insurance,<ref name="Healthcare_required">{{cite web |url=http://www.johnedwards.com/issues/health-care/health-care-fact-sheet/ |title=Universal Health Care Through Shared Responsibility |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100127145817/http://johnedwards.com/issues/health-care/health-care-fact-sheet/ |archive-date=January 27, 2010}}</ref> "requires that everybody get preventive care", and requires employers to provide health care insurance or be taxed to fund public health care.<ref name="Healthcare_preventive">{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/06/us/politics/06edwards.html |title=Edwards Details His Health Care Proposal |work=The New York Times |date=6 February 2007 |first1=John M. |last1=Broder |access-date=11 April 2015}}</ref><ref name="Q&A">{{cite news |url=http://www.coxwashington.com/news/content/reporters/stories/2007/02/07/BC_EDWARDS_QANDA06.html |title=Q&A With John Edwards On Health Care |author=Scott Shepard |publisher=Cox News Service |date=February 7, 2007 |access-date=December 18, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080110165652/http://www.coxwashington.com/news/content/reporters/stories/2007/02/07/BC_EDWARDS_QANDA06.html |archive-date=January 10, 2008}}</ref>  He supports a pathway to citizenship for [[illegal immigrant]]s,<ref name="Q&A" /> is opposed to a [[Federal Marriage Amendment|constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage]];<ref name="Edwards on the issues">{{cite news |url=http://www.ontheissues.org/2004/John_Edwards_Civil_Rights.htm |title=John Edwards on Civil Rights (2004) |publisher=On The Issues |year=2004 |access-date=3 January 2007}}</ref> and supports the repeal of the [[Defense of Marriage Act]] (DOMA).<ref>{{cite web |title=John Edwards on Civil Rights (2008) |url=http://www.ontheissues.org/2008/John_Edwards_Civil_Rights.htm |publisher=On The Issues |year=2008 |access-date=8 April 2008}}</ref>

Edwards endorsed efforts to slow down global warming<ref>{{cite web |work=Friends of the Earth Action |date=16 September 2007 |access-date=1 May 2008 |url=http://action.foe.org/content.jsp?content_KEY=3354&t=FoE_Action_PAC.dwt |title=John Edwards' Record on the Environment |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081106175848/http://action.foe.org/content.jsp?content_KEY=3354&t=FoE_Action_PAC.dwt |archive-date=November 6, 2008 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all}}</ref> and was the first presidential candidate to describe his campaign as [[carbon-neutral]].<ref>{{cite web |work=Grist |date=1 August 2007 |access-date= 1 May 2008 |url=http://www.grist.org/feature/2007/07/edwards_factsheet/ |title=A look at John Edwards' environmental platform and record}}</ref>