Edward Rourke Donnell was born in Blacksburg, Virginia on June 5, 1978. His father (1951-) was a conservative activist who unsuccessfully ran for Congress in 1982 as an independent; Donnell has Irish and English ancestry, although his great-grandfather converted to Methodism in 1899.
Donnell's first involvement in politics was in the 1992 presidential election, when he enthusiastically supported the candidacy of Ross Perot; according to his account, Donnell broke down and cried when his mother told him he was too young to vote.
In 1997, Donnell entered Virginia Tech, remaining there for six months; he dropped out to join the US Army, becoming an infantryman.
In 2001, Donnell married Stella Welch (born 1980), whom he met in Virginia Tech; they have two children, a daughter born in 2002 and a son born in 2003.
In 2003, Donnell was deployed to Iraq, participating in Operation Iraqi Freedom; Donnell allegedly killed 86 enemy soldiers in the country. In 2005, Donnell went back to the United States; his paleoconservative political views substantially moderated.
Donnell became a conservative activist upon returning home, campaigning for the GOP in the 2006 midterms; he condemned Jim Webb for his book and an article titled "Women Can't Fight".
In 2008, Ed Donnell ran for US Senate, promising to fight for comprehensive healthcare reform, free-market solutions for climate change, a slow withdrawal from Iraq, a hard money policy rather than corporate bailouts, and campaign finance reform as a Senator. In spite of trailing in the polls for most of the race, Donnell defeated Mark Warner by a very close margin, becoming the youngest US Senator since Joe Biden.
In the Senate, Donnell estabilished himself as a moderate conservative; he voted against Obamacare, wanted to make the Bush tax cuts permanent, and voted for restrictions on abortion, but condemned the Citizens United decision, intervention in Libya, and successfully proposed a cap and trade bill. Donnell opposed most free trade agreements, while unsuccessfully pushing for the renegotiation of NAFTA.
Donnell was easily reelected to the US Senate in 2014, and announced his candidacy for President in May 2015.
Donnell's candidacy promised to "Put America Back on Track". He described his ideology as "21st Century Conservatism", promising to provide tax breaks for those starting new businesses, renegotiate NAFTA and TPP, replace Obamacare with Donnellcare, reform education through school vouchers and a focus on trade schools, withdraw United States forces from Afghanistan, formally declare China a currency manipulator, and focus on renewable and nuclear energy.
Donnell finished third in the Iowa city, but won the New Hampshire and South Carolina primaries, and the Nevada caucus. In Super Tuesday, Donnell finished in a virtual tie with Donald Trump, but the Access Hollywood tape changed things, and the US Senator for Virginia won most caucuses and primaries.
WIP
