Staff Report
THE RUTLAND HERALD
Becca Balint has been elected as the first woman and first out LGBTQ+ person to represent Vermont in Congress.
Balint, a Democrat, was declared the winner of Vermont’s sole U.S. House seat with more than 60% of the vote. She defeated Republican Liam Madden. Three independents and one libertarian candidate were also in the race.
The 54-year-old from Brattleboro has served four terms in the Vermont Senate, including as majority leader from 2017 to 2020. A former history and social studies teacher, she was elected state Senate president in 2021, becoming the first woman and first openly gay person to serve in that role.
The seat was left open when incumbent Peter Welch, also a Democrat, decided to run instead for U.S. Senate to succeed Patrick Leahy, who’s retiring.
Welch, who was elected to the House in 2006 and won reelection with lopsided votes every two years since, defeated Republican Gerald Malloy, a retired U.S. Army officer endorsed by former President Donald Trump.
In a year in which the parties are grappling for control of the Senate, Welch’s election keeps the seat from the deep blue state safely in the Democratic column.
Welch thanked Vermonters for their support and said it was a privilege to have served in the House for nearly 16 years. He said in a statement that whatever the Senate looks like after these elections, “we know that — whoever is in charge — the ‘Vermont way’ is needed to find solutions to our shared problems. It’s how Senator Patrick Leahy served us so well for 48 years, and it’s how I am committed to serve every day in the Senate.”
Welch, 75, drew some criticism before the vote for giving up his House seniority to start as a freshman senator. But he said his experience was needed in the Senate at a time when he feels the foundation of American democracy is under threat.
Meanwhile Vermont voters reelected Republican Gov. Phil Scott to his fourth two-year term as the state’s top executive.
Scott, 64, defeated Democrat Brenda Siegel and three independent candidates.
Since he became governor in 2017, Scott said, he has focused on minimizing the tax burden, ensuring that vulnerable Vermonters are helped and growing the economy. He said that work is not yet finished.
Although a Republican, Scott was a frequent critic of former President Donald Trump and voted for Joe Biden in the 2020 election.
Along with Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker and Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan — neither of whom sought re-election in 2022 — Scott has often been highlighted in national politics as among Republicans not caught up in the Make American Great Again version of the party that has emerged in recent years.
He led Vermont through the COVID-19 pandemic, winning high marks for helping the state avoid some of the harsh impacts felt by other states.
In down-ticket races, Democrat Mike Pieciak was handily defeating H. Brooke Paige for state treasurer; Democrat Sarah Copeland Hanzas was defeating Paige for secretary of state; Charity Clark, also a Democrat, was defeating Republican Michael Tagliavia for attorney general; and Democrat. Doug Hoffer was reelected as state auditor over Rick Morton, a Republican.
But the issue that seemed to bring voters out to the polls on Tuesday was reproductive rights.
Abortion was on the ballot in several states Tuesday, months after the Supreme Court overturned the right to abortion in a decision that led to near-total bans in a dozen states.
It was approved in Vermont by a large margin.
The reproductive-rights question came after the 2019 passage by the Legislature of a law guaranteeing abortion rights.
In addition, Proposal 2, a ballot amendment to the Vermont Constitution, got the the nod from voters, making Vermont the first in the nation to constitutionally abolish slavery. The amendment would prohibit any form of slavery in the state.
As your daily newspaper, we are committed to providing you with important local news coverage for Sullivan County and the surrounding areas.