In a state where 18 is not old enough to drink, Edwards believes girls at 16 are old enough to get married. Edwards’ daughter, Elizabeth, served as a state representative, and Edwards said her service was the inspiration for his run for office. He is in his third term.
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While not the common meaning when referring to the US, ‘State’ can also mean country. US states are called that based on an abandoned idea of them being highly independent of each other and the federal government.
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Minor clarification: the article is on NJ.com, but the event in question occurred in New Hampshire. (Not that the drinking age is any different there.)