ACLU Rating:
John Edwards has a 50% lifetime rating from the ACLU, the lowest of any top-tier Democratic presidential candidate.
Abortion and Reproductive Rights - Strongly Pro-Choice:
While in office, Edwards earned an 100% rating from NARAL Pro-Choice America. He voted against proposed bans on live intact D&X ("partial birth") abortions in both 1999 and 2003, and has stated strong opposition to the Supreme Court's Gonzales v. Carhart decision upholding the 2003 ban.
Death Penalty - Retentionist, But Supports Reform:
Although Edwards has stated support for the death penalty in some cases (citing child murder as an example during one 2004 debate), he tended to support death penalty reform initiatives while serving in the Senate. He was an original co-sponsor of the Innocence Protection Act of 2003, calling for DNA testing in federal death penalty cases.
The First Amendment - Supports Campaign Finance Reform Legislation:
Edwards voted for the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform bill, and has consistently supported it in the years since.
Immigrants' Rights - Moderately Generous:
Edwards has clearly stated support for citizenship path proposals, and supports use of government services by undocumented immigrants. He has also supported border security programs. While he opposes amnesty proposals, it is worth noting that the rhetoric he has used in doing so has been less forceful than that of most other candidates.
Lesbian and Gay Rights - Everything But Marriage:
Much like other Democratic candidates, Edwards has taken on a compromise position in which he opposes same-sex marriage, but also opposes federal constitutional amendments intended to prohibit same. Like all other 2008 Democratic presidential candidates, Edwards does support the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), federal hate crime legislation that includes sexual orientation and gender identity, civil unions, and the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell." Read more...
Race and Equal Opportunity - Strong Candidate:
Edwards has consistently supported affirmative action proposals, and his 2008 election campaign has centered on the issues of poverty and class discrimination more than that of any other candidate--issues that are central to any broad and progressive concept of civil rights activism. While he does not talk particularly often about race, his position on civil rights issues does not appear to be noticeably weak.
The Second Amendment - Supports Increased Gun Control:
In a 2004 editorial, NRA-ILA executive director Chris Cox wrote that while Edwards' record was "characterized primarily by poor attendance," he "voted against gun owners--or didn't show up to vote at all--83% of the time." Information on his Senate NRA rating is pending, but Edwards' positions on gun rights issues are consistent with other leading Democratic candidates who have received an F grade.
War on Terror - Deferential But Mainstream:
Edwards supported nearly all of President Bush's proposed counterterrorism policies during his term in office, but this was not unusual at the time. Unlike other senators vying for 2008 Democratic nomination, however, Edwards did not stay in office long enough to propose or support any corrective legislation.
Tom's Take:
During the 107th and 108th Congress, Edwards voted in alignment with the ACLU position 29% of the time, voted against the ACLU position 29% of the time, and was absent 42% of the time. This gave him a 50/50 rating from the ACLU, which is not particularly impressive for a Democratic candidate. On the other hand, it's worth bearing context in mind: Edwards served in the U.S. Senate from January 1999 to January 2005, during which most of the Bush administration's problematic counterterrorism bills were supported by the majority of senators of both parties. Edwards' biggest problem is that he simply wasn't present for six of the nine votes in 2004 on which the ACLU took a position. If he had been, his rating would probably be substantially higher.
