Edwige Owens is the main antagonist of the movie The Purge: Election Year. He is portrayed by American actor Kyle Secor.
Prior to his affiliation with NFFA, Owens worked as a pastor. By the time he joins the NFFA, he expanded his ministry and seizes control of a Catholic cathedral for his own services including his infamous Purge mass.
In 2039, he runs for president under suggestion from his affiliates from the same political party. His rival is Charlie Roan.
In 2040, the NFFA begins losing influence due to Roan's advocacy of a peaceful United States and the end of the Purge. In order to prevent this from happening, Owens collaborates with the NFFA of abolishing the rule granting immunity to government officials of Ranking 10 in order to assassinate Roan.
To ensure that the revocation is followed and well implemented, Owens plants two corrupt secret service agents in Roan's security detail and hires a racist paramilitary force lead by Neo-Nazi/white supremacist Earl Danzinger to do the assassination.
As the events progress, he holds a midnight Purge mass in a cathedral he seized years prior and sacrifices victims. His last victim is that of a drug addict who is fatally stabbed by his friend and longtime NFFA loyalist, Harmon James, who serves as the mass' acolyte. Their attempt to purge Roan fails after the latter's supporters infiltrate the cathedral and massacre the entire NFFA congregation, leaving him and James alive. Some of Roan's supporters attempt to kill him only for Roan to stop them.
With his congregation and James dead as well as his intended victims for the Purge mass rescued, Owens is one of the few NFFA officials left alive.
Owens loses to Roan in a landslide two months later. This also marked the first loss of NFFA influence in the United States.
- According to the original script of The First Purge, a 42-year-old Owens was supposed to appear. However, under unknown circumstances, his role was replaced by Arlo Sabian.