Editing John Edwards (section)

===Senate tenure===
{{stack|
[[File:Health care 63998u (cropped).jpg|thumb|Edwards, [[Barbara Mikulski]], and [[Tom Daschle]] at a rally urging the passing of the Democrats' health care package, the Patients' Bill of Rights (1999).]]
[[Image:John Edwards on Meet The Press.jpg|thumb|upright|Senator Edwards on ''[[Meet the Press]]'']]
}}
Edwards won election to the U.S. Senate in [[1998 United States Senate election in North Carolina|1998]] as a Democrat running against incumbent Republican Senator [[Lauch Faircloth]]. Despite originally being the underdog, Edwards beat Faircloth by 51.2% to 47.0% — a margin of some 83,000 votes. He served alongside fellow Republican Senator [[Jesse Helms]] until Helms left office in 2003, having chosen to not seek reelection in 2002.<ref>{{cite news|title=Sen. John Edwards|url=https://www.wired.com/2001/08/jesse-helms-wont-seek-sixth-term/|publisher=[[Associated Press]]|date=August 23, 2001|access-date=September 11, 2023}}</ref>

During [[President of the United States|President]] [[Bill Clinton]]'s [[Impeachment of Bill Clinton|1999 impeachment trial in the Senate]], Edwards was responsible for the [[deposition (law)|deposition]] of witnesses [[Monica Lewinsky]] and fellow Democrat [[Vernon Jordan, Jr.]] During the 2000 presidential campaign, Edwards was on Democratic nominee [[Al Gore]]'s vice presidential nominee short list (along with [[John Kerry]] and [[Joe Lieberman]], Gore's eventual pick).<ref>{{cite news|last=Rudin|first=Ken|title=Sen. John Edwards|url=https://www.npr.org/programs/specials/democrats2004/edwards.html|publisher=[[National Public Radio]]|date=January 30, 2003|access-date=April 8, 2008}}</ref>

In his time in the Senate, Edwards co-sponsored 203 bills.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/?Db=d107&querybd=@FIELD(FLD004+@4((@1(Sen+Edwards++John))+01573)): | archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20080918121035/http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/?&Db=d107&querybd=@FIELD(FLD004+@4((@1(Sen+Edwards++John))+01573)): | url-status=dead | archive-date=September 18, 2008 | title=Search Results | publisher=The Library of Congress | access-date=March 25, 2007 }}</ref> Among them was Lieberman's 2002 [[Iraq War]] Resolution (S.J.Res.46), which he co-sponsored along with 15 other senators, but which did not go to a vote.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d107:SJ00046:@@@P: | title=S.J.RES.46 | publisher=The Library of Congress | access-date=March 25, 2007 | archive-date=September 18, 2008 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080918120940/http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d107:SJ00046:@@@P: | url-status=dead }}</ref> He voted for replacement resolution (H.J Res. 114) in the full Senate to authorize the use of military force against Iraq, which passed by a vote of 77 to 23,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=107&session=2&vote=00237 | title=U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes: H.J Res. 114 | publisher=United States Senate | access-date=December 18, 2007}}</ref> On October 10, 2002, he stated that:

{{blockquote|"Almost no one disagrees with these basic facts: that Saddam Hussein is a tyrant and a menace; that he has weapons of mass destruction and that he is doing everything in his power to get nuclear weapons; that he has supported terrorists; that he is a grave threat to the region, to vital allies like [[Israel]], and to the United States; and that he is thwarting the will of the international community and undermining the United Nations' credibility."<ref>{{cite news | url=http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=apXyrHjc4RSs&refer=us | title=Edwards Says He Still Would Have Voted to Authorize War in Iraq | author=Jay Newton-Small and Laurence Arnold | publisher=Bloomberg News | date=October 11, 2004 | access-date=August 17, 2007 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930064943/http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=apXyrHjc4RSs&refer=us | archive-date=September 30, 2007 | df=mdy-all }}</ref>}}

On October 10, 2004, Edwards further defended his vote during an appearance on ''[[Meet the Press]]'': {{blockquote|"I would have voted for the resolution knowing what I know today, because it was the right thing to do to give the president the authority to confront [[Saddam Hussein]] ... I think Saddam Hussein was a very serious threat. I stand by that, and that's why [John Kerry and I] stand behind our vote on the resolution."<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna6200928 | title=Meet the Press transcript for October 10, 2004}}</ref>}}

Edwards subsequently changed his mind about the war and apologized for that military authorization vote.{{when|date=March 2024}} Edwards also voted in favor of the [[Patriot Act]].{{citation needed|date=March 2024}}

Among other positions, Edwards was generally [[pro-choice]] and supported [[affirmative action]] and the [[Capital punishment in the United States|death penalty]]. One of his first sponsored bills was the ''Fragile X Research Breakthrough Act of 1999''.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c106:S.1131.IS: | title=Fragile X Research Breakthrough Act of 1999 | publisher=Library of Congress | date=May 26, 1999 | access-date=March 25, 2007 | archive-date=September 18, 2008 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080918121107/http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c106:S.1131.IS: | url-status=dead }}</ref> He was also the first person to introduce comprehensive anti-spyware legislation with the ''Spyware Control and Privacy Protection Act''.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d106:SN03180:@@@L&summ2=m& | title=S.3180 | publisher=The Library of Congress | access-date=March 25, 2007 | archive-date=September 18, 2008 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080918120902/http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d106:SN03180:@@@L&summ2=m& | url-status=dead }}</ref> He advocated rolling back the [[George W. Bush|Bush administration]]'s tax cuts and ending [[mandatory sentencing|mandatory minimum sentencing]] for non-violent offenders.<ref name=ontheissues>{{cite web | url=http://ontheissues.org/John_Edwards.htm | title=John Edwards on the Issues | publisher=OnTheIssues | access-date=March 25, 2007}}</ref> Edwards generally supported expanding legal immigration to the United States while working with [[Mexico]] to provide better border security and stop illegal trafficking.<ref name=ontheissues/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://grades.betterimmigration.com/testgrades.php3?District=NC&VIPID=483&retired=1 |title=Immigration Voting Report Card for Sen. John Edwards |publisher=Grades.betterimmigration.com |access-date=May 24, 2010 |archive-date=January 7, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100107041405/http://grades.betterimmigration.com/testgrades.php3?District=NC&VIPID=483&retired=1 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Edwards served on the [[U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence]], the [[U.S. Senate Committee on Judiciary]], and was a member of the [[New Democrat Coalition]].{{citation needed|date=March 2024}}

Before the [[United States Senate election in North Carolina, 2004|2004 Senate election]], Edwards announced his retirement from the Senate and supported [[Erskine Bowles]], former [[White House Chief of Staff]], as the successor to his seat; Bowles was defeated by Republican [[Richard Burr]] in the election.{{citation needed|date=March 2024}}