AUSTIN - U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, of Waco, was in the national spotlight two years ago as a long-shot choice for the Democratic vice presidential nomination, but now he is fighting for his political life as one of the Republicans' top targets for defeat nationally. The incumbent's Republican opponent, former Houston oil executive Bill Flores, and national Republican political committees are trying to undermine Edwards' history of constituent service by telling voters the congressman voted with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's agenda 96 percent of the time. Edwards said the goal of his campaign is to prove to the Republican-leaning 17th Congressional District that he is an "independent" Democrat who bucked Pelosi and President Barack Obama on legislation such as national health care and global warming. Edwards said his conservative record is why he has been endorsed by conservative groups such as the National Rifle Association, the Texas Farm Bureau and the Veterans of Foreign Wars political committee. While active in community service, Flores is new to politics. Besides commercials from Flores' campaign, Edwards also has been criticized in ads produced by the Republican-oriented American Future Fund from Iowa and the National Republican Congressional Committee.