Rep. Peter Welch was first elected to House in 2006 and now is running for the seat of retiring Sen. Patrick Leahy. Welch, the lone Vermont House Representative, won his last statewide election with 67% of the vote. If he wins, Welch would be only the second Democrat ever elected to the Senate from Vermont.
Welch is a member of the House Intelligence Committee, serves as Chief Deputy Whip of the House Democratic Caucus and sits on the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee.
Rep. Welch was active in the Nuclear Freeze movement and has been an outspoken champion on nuclear arms control and non-proliferation issues throughout his time in Congress. He has had a perfect voting record on Council issues for the past three years, and last year voted to block a new intercontinental ballistic missile and to cut a $24 billion increase to the defense budget.
