Jesse Craton “Jess” Edwards Jr. is an American politician who is a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives. He represents the Rockingham 4 district, which comprises the towns of Auburn, Chester, and Sandown.
Edwards served in the United States Medical Corps, reaching the rank of lieutenant colonel and retiring in 2009. While in the Corps, he served as a comptroller to the 18th Medical Command in Korea.
Edwards is a Republican. In his third term, he was appointed to Chair Division III of the Finance Committee. In 2023, Edwards endorsed Ron DeSantis for president.
In 2022, Edwards advocated for the successful passage of HB1609 which created an exemption for fatal fetal diagnoses to the 24-week abortion ban law passed in 2021.
In 2024, Edwards argued against raising New Hampshire’s minimum marriage age from 16 to 18, stating that 16- and 17-year-olds “are a ripe, fertile age and may have a pregnancy and a baby involved”, in which case “marriage might be the right solution” and should be available “as a legitimate social option” to avoid “making abortion a much more desirable alternative”.
Edwards’ daughter, Elizabeth, served as a state representative, and Edwards credits her service as the inspiration for his run for office.
Edwards has had a successful electoral history. In the 2020 Rockingham District 4 General Election, he received 6,686 votes, securing 14% of the total votes. In the 2018 Rockingham District 4 General Election, he received 4,371 votes, securing 12.5% of the total votes.
