Ed Lopez

Early life and education

Lopez is of Guatemalan descent. Before completing his studies at the University of Rhode Island he served as a Mormon missionary in the Dominican Republic for two years.

He was the founder and state chairman of the Republican Hispanic Assembly of Rhode Island by late 1997. Lopez was a candidate for Rhode Island Secretary of State against incumbent James Langevin in the 1998 election cycle. Lopez was a Staff Assistant to United States Senators Hank Brown in Washington, D.C. and for John H. Chafee in his Providence, Rhode Island district office. In 2000, he received support from Republicans including Frederick Lippitt and Republican National Committeewoman for Rhode Island Eileen Slocum for a potential State Senate race in Rhode Island's 3rd District against State Senator Rhoda Perry. That same year, Lopez supported George W. Bush in the Republican presidential primary.

Lopez graduated from the University of Rhode Island in 1999 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. He pursued graduate studies at Durham University, in the United Kingdom, graduating with a master's degree in International Relations Middle East and Arabic language studies. Concurrent to military service in the United States Army he began PhD work, returning to Durham University and augmenting his Arabic language studies at American University in Cairo's Arabic Language Institute, in Cairo, Egypt. Lopez was a member of Ustinov College.

While in the United Kingdom, Lopez served in the United States Army Reserve Military Intelligence Corps.

Republican Party

Lopez served as National Vice Chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus from 2011 through 2015. Lopez served on Rockingham County Leadership Team for former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr. for President in the 2012 Republican presidential primaries.

Freedom to Marry

In March 2013, Lopez joined Young Conservatives for the Freedom to Marry along with S.E. Cupp, Abby Huntsman, Elizabeth Huntsman, Mary Anne Huntsman, Meghan McCain and other conservative and Republican activists.

In June 2013, Lopez joined the group on a nationwide campaign to change the Republican Party's platform points on the issue; the campaign included visits to New Hampshire, Iowa, South Carolina, and Nevada. Lopez was identified as a leader in the movement. Following an announcement of Republican support among state senators in Rhode Island, Lopez stated: "Rhode Island Republicans are leading the way to a more inclusive GOP — one that can continue to grow and stay relevant as America changes. Their actions today show that not only do they know the freedom to marry is completely in line with conservative values like personal liberty and the importance of family, they are working to make it a reality."

He was among a group of "Republican lawmakers, operatives and consultants" to file an amicus brief "at the Supreme Court in support of same-sex marriage." The brief was organized by former Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman and included "Senators Susan Collins and Mark Kirk, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, retired General Stanley McChrystal and billionaire GOP mega-donor David Koch." On June 26, 2015, the United States Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges meant that the Freedom to Marry's movement could be brought to a close.

2016 presidential election

Lopez said he supported former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson in the 2016 election during an interview with The Huffington Post in June 2016. In August 2016, he co-founded and began serving as national co-chairman of the group Republicans for Johnson-Weld, stating that the "combined gubernatorial experience of the Johnson-Weld ticket as well as their fiscally conservative records and inclusive governing styles are most reflective of what the majority of Americans are desperately looking for in their leaders." During an interview on C-SPAN's Washington Journal, Lopez was asked whether he planned to remain a Republican and whether he felt Governors Gary Johnson and Bill Weld were sufficiently libertarian to which his response was: "I still believe in the Republican Party. I would like to see the Republican Party come out of this stronger. I'm not here to define how libertarian the Johnson-Weld ticket is or isn't; I understand Libertarians debate this robustly."

In the final weeks before the general election, Our America Initiative sponsored a national tour, "visiting college campuses and other venues across America to raise awareness about third party inclusion in national presidential debates" and to "spread the message of liberty and libertarian thought." The 40 state tour included speakers such as Governors Gary Johnson and Bill Weld, Free the People's Matt Kibbe, political and communications consultant Liz Mair, Reason Foundation’s David Nott, Foundation for Economic Education’s Jeffrey Tucker, Libertarian Party's Carla Howell and Lopez, who said, "The main reason that I chose to come on this tour and talk to millennials and talk to students all over the country is because in addition to being libertarian, I’m a realist, and so, I sympathized a lot with one of Gary Johnson’s principles of good government. And that’s a principle of realism."

Newspaper op-ed contributor

His writing has appeared in Greenwich Time, The Advocate, The Daily Caller, The Portsmouth Herald, The Providence Journal, and The Telegraph (Nashua).

Personal life

Lopez resides in Greenwich, Connecticut.

He and his wife, Marie Anne, have been active in political and non-profit efforts together. He presided over a local affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International in New Hampshire between 2009 and 2011. He is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Lopez plays guitar and is a feature writer and contributing editor in music subjects.