Peter Welch | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2023 | |
| United States Senator from Vermont | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2023 Serving with Bernie Sanders | |
| Preceded by | Patrick Leahy |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Vermont's at-large district | |
| In office January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Bernie Sanders |
| Succeeded by | Becca Balint |
| 73rd and 78th President pro tempore of the Vermont Senate | |
| In office January 8, 2003 – January 3, 2007 | |
| Preceded by | Peter Shumlin |
| Succeeded by | Peter Shumlin |
| In office January 9, 1985 – January 4, 1989 | |
| Preceded by | Robert A. Bloomer |
| Succeeded by | Doug Racine |
| Minority Leader of the Vermont Senate | |
| In office January 5, 1983 – January 8, 1985 | |
| Preceded by | Robert Daniels |
| Succeeded by | Allen Avery |
| Member of the Vermont Senate from the Windsor district | |
| In office December 13, 2001 – January 3, 2007 Serving with John Campbell, Richard McCormack | |
| Preceded by | Cheryl Rivers |
| Succeeded by | Alice Nitka |
| In office January 7, 1981 – January 4, 1989 Serving with Chester Scott, John Hudson Howland, Edgar May, William Hunter | |
| Preceded by | Herbert Ogden |
| Succeeded by | Richard McCormack |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Peter Francis Welch May 2, 1947 Springfield, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouses | |
| Alma mater | College of the Holy Cross (BA) University of California, Berkeley (JD) |
| Website | Senate website |
Peter Francis Welch (born May 2, 1947) is an American lawyer and politician serving since 2023 as the junior United States senator from Vermont. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the U.S. representative for Vermont's at-large congressional district from 2007 to 2023. He has been a major figure in Vermont politics for over four decades, and is only the second Democrat to be elected a senator from the state.
Born in Springfield, Massachusetts, Welch graduated from the College of the Holy Cross and the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law. He was a member of the Vermont Senate from 1981 to 1989, including terms as minority leader, then was the Senate's president pro tempore from 1985 to 1989, the first Democrat to hold the position. In 1988, Welch gave up his seat to run for the United States House of Representatives and lost the Democratic primary to Paul N. Poirier. He was the Democratic nominee for governor of Vermont in 1990, losing the general election to Republican Richard A. Snelling.
Welch continued to practice law and returned to politics in 2001, when he was appointed to fill a vacancy in the Vermont Senate. He was re-elected in 2002 and 2004 and was Senate president from 2003 to 2007. In 2006, Welch was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, succeeding Bernie Sanders, who was elected to the United States Senate. In November 2021, Welch announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination in the 2022 United States Senate election in Vermont to succeed retiring Senator Patrick Leahy.[1][2] On August 9, 2022, he won the Democratic primary. On November 8, 2022, Welch won the general election, defeating Republican nominee Gerald Malloy.[3][4][5] Elected at age 75, he is the oldest person to become a freshman senator, a record previously held by Frederick H. Gillett.
- ^ Forgey, Quint (November 22, 2021). "Rep. Peter Welch launches Senate bid for Leahy's seat". POLITICO. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
- ^ "Rep. Peter Welch announces run for U.S. Senate". WCAX-TV. Burlington, Vt. November 22, 2021. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
- ^ "Peter Welch wins U.S. Senate Democratic primary". www.yahoo.com. August 10, 2022. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
- ^ "Gerald Malloy wins Republican primary election for US Senate | Vermont Business Magazine". vermontbiz.com. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
- ^ AP Politics [@AP_Politics] (November 8, 2022). "BREAKING: Democrat Peter Welch wins election to U.S. Senate from Vermont. #APracecall at 7:00 p.m. EST" (Tweet). Retrieved November 8, 2022 – via Twitter.