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Peter Welch

U.S. Senate · VT · Democrats · since 2023

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Candidate for U.S. Senate · VT

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Biography

Overview

Peter Welch is a Democratic U.S. Senator from Vermont, serving since 2023. He is a lawyer who previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2007 to 2023, representing Vermont's at-large district. Before that, he served in the Vermont State Senate from 1981 to 1989 and again from 2001 to 2007, including terms as senate president and minority leader. He is the second Democrat to represent Vermont in the U.S. Senate.

Career

In the House, Welch was the first Democrat to represent Vermont in that chamber since 1961, serving 16 years and being reelected eight times. He was known for bipartisan work with Republicans Eric Cantor and Paul Ryan on specific issues. He participated in the 2016 House sit-in for gun control and voted for impeachment of Donald Trump in 2019. In the Senate, he was the first Democratic senator to call for President Biden to withdraw from the 2024 race and has sponsored numerous bills on agriculture, healthcare, and rural development in the current Congress.

Prior political experience

Welch was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2006, defeating Republican Martha Rainville 53% to 45%. He was reelected in 2008 without major-party opposition (making him the first Democrat reelected to the House from Vermont since 1848). In subsequent House elections, he won with margins ranging from 64% to 90%. In 2022, he won the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate by a large margin and defeated Republican nominee Gerald Malloy in the general election to become Vermont's U.S. Senator.

Biographical material adapted from the Wikipedia article (retrieved April 29, 2026), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Ideology

Liberal–Conservative (DW-NOMINATE dim 1)

Liberal
Conservative
119th Congress-0.401

Secondary axis (DW-NOMINATE dim 2)(?)

−1
+1
-0.405
Source: Voteview DW-NOMINATE · 626 scored votes

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Officeholding history

TermSeatTerm datesTerminationPredecessorSuccessor
1stU.S. Senate VT Class 32023–presentIn progress——
8thU.S. House VT-At-Large2021–2023Term endedPeter WelchBecca Balint
7thU.S. House VT-At-Large2019–2021Term endedPeter WelchPeter Welch
6thU.S. House VT-At-Large2017–2019Term endedPeter WelchPeter Welch
5thU.S. House VT-At-Large2015–2017Term endedPeter WelchPeter Welch
4thU.S. House VT-At-Large2013–2015Term endedPeter WelchPeter Welch
3rdU.S. House VT-At-Large2011–2013Term endedPeter WelchPeter Welch
2ndU.S. House VT-At-Large2009–2011Term endedPeter WelchPeter Welch
1stU.S. House VT-At-Large2007–2009Term endedBernie SandersPeter Welch

Committee assignments

  • the Constitution
    SenateRanking Member· 2023–present
  • Rural Development, Energy, and Credit
    SenateRanking Member· 2023–present
  • Livestock, Dairy, Poultry, and Food Safety
    Senate· 2023–present
  • Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights
    Senate· 2023–present
  • Conservation, Forestry, Natural Resources, and Biotechnology
    Senate· 2023–present
  • Energy, Natural Resources, and Infrastructure
    Senate· 2023–present
  • Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action, and Federal Rights
    Senate· 2023–present
  • Intellectual Property
    Senate· 2023–present
  • Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
    Senate· 2023–present
  • Senate Committee on Rules and Administration
    Senate· 2023–present
  • Senate Committee on the Judiciary
    Senate· 2023–present
  • Health Care
    Senate· 2023–present
  • Senate Committee on Finance
    Senate· 2023–present

Current term legislation

Bills sponsored this term10

Bills cosponsored this term10

Elections

YearSeatResultVote shareField
2022Governor VTLost0.00%