Vermont will send its first woman to Congress as its current Congressman heads to the U.S. Senate.
Vermont Congressman Peter Welch is now Senator-elect. Unofficial results from the Secretary of State show that the Democrat won the campaign with 66 percent of the vote to Republican Gerald Malloy’s 27 percent.
As Welch took to the stage with his family he thanked family, voters and campaign staff before returning to the theme of his campaign: saving democracy.
“You know it’s an extraordinary time in our democracy. We’re excited about the outcome of the election here for the U.S. Senate. But this election is in the shadow of what happened on January 6th. This election, unlike any other election, has democracy right front and center on the ballot and our mission here in Vermont is to restore and defend and protect the democracy that we value so much in this small state.”
Welch will replace retiring Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy, who was first elected in 1974 and is the current Pro Tem.
“I’ve talked to a lot of Republicans and Democrats. I’ve encouraged them to spend time with him. I think they’ll like him because he’s old school. He keeps his word. The difficulty there is going to be some of these single-issue groups who think you must fit exactly some pattern. There is no matter that comes before the U.S. Senate that fits a single issue. Things are complex. There are only 100 senators. We represent 325 million Americans. We have to consider the whole country, not just one political group.”
Vermont state Senate Pro-Tem Democrat Becca Balint will replace Welch as Vermont’s at-large Congressional representative. Unofficial results show Balint trounced Republican challenger Liam Madden 60 to 26 percent. Balint thanked Vermonters for their confidence in her and giving her the opportunity to serve the state.
“I just received a call from Liam Madden conceding the race. And I want to thank Liam for his candidacy and for his service to our country. I’m standing here with my family and my team because tonight we reaffirm that Vermont and the nation is still a place where anything is possible. And tonight, after 231 years, Vermonters are sending a woman to Congress!”
Balint reflected on how easy it is to become cynical about politics and said it is time to fight for democratic issues. Openly gay, Balint is a trailblazer in Green Mountain state politics.
“Vermont is a place where the daughter of an immigrant dad and a working class mom can be the first woman and the first gay person to represent Vermont in the U.S. House of Representatives. We have a democracy to save. This is a time for us to rebuild the middle class and bring us together. I give you, give you my word tonight that I will not back down from hard fights in Washington. We’re fighting for climate action. We’re fighting for universal health care, for reproductive rights, for the safety of our trans and queer neighbors, for racial equity, for common sense gun laws, for a nation finally as good as its promise. We must give each other the courage to do all of this important work together. Thank you.”
The 118th session of Congress is scheduled to begin on January 3rd.
