Becca Balint | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2023 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromVermont'sat-large district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Peter Welch |
| President pro tempore of the Vermont Senate | |
| In office January 6, 2021 – January 3, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Tim Ashe |
| Succeeded by | Philip Baruth |
| Majority Leader of theVermont Senate | |
| In office January 6, 2017 – January 6, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Philip Baruth |
| Succeeded by | Alison H. Clarkson |
| Member of theVermont Senate from theWindham district | |
| In office January 7, 2015 – January 3, 2023 Serving with Jeanette White | |
| Preceded by | Peter Galbraith |
| Succeeded by | Wendy Harrison Nader Hashim |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1968-05-04)May 4, 1968 (age 57) |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Columbia University (attended) Smith College (BA) Harvard University (MEd) University of Massachusetts, Amherst (MA) |
| Signature |  |
| Website | House website Campaign website |
Rebecca A. Balint (/ˈbælɪnt/BAL-int; born May 4, 1968) is an American politician who is a member of theUnited States House of Representatives fromVermont's at-large congressional district as a member of theDemocratic Party. She served as a member of theVermont Senate fromWindham County from 2015 to 2023, as majority leader from 2017 to 2021, and aspresident pro tempore from 2021 to 2023.
Balint was born inHeidelberg,West Germany, and raised inPeekskill, New York. She was educated atWalter Panas High School,Smith College,Harvard University, and theUniversity of Massachusetts Amherst. She moved to Vermont in 1994, and worked as a teacher, rock-climbing instructor, and columnist for theBrattleboro Reformer, and was active in local politics. Balint was elected to the State Senate in 2014, becoming the first openly acknowledged lesbian to serve there. She was selected to serve as majority leader and later elected president pro tempore, the first woman and openlyLGBT person to do so in Vermont.
Balint was elected to the U.S. House in the2022 election. She is the first woman and openlyLGBT person to represent Vermont in Congress. Prior to her election, Vermont was the only state that had not previously elected a woman to Congress.[1]
Rebecca A. Balint was born at theUnited States Army hospital inHeidelberg,West Germany,[2] on May 4, 1968,[3] the daughter of Peter and Sandra (Couchman) Balint,[4][5] and raised inPeekskill, New York.[3] Her grandfather was murdered on adeath march from theMauthausen concentration camp duringthe Holocaust; herHungarian-Jewish father immigrated to the U.S. in 1957.[2][6] She graduated fromWalter Panas High School in 1986.[3] In the sixth grade, she admitted to having a crush on a female classmate, for which other students taunted her, including writing "lezzie" on her locker; she came out to her friends after high school[3] and to her parents while she was in college.[7] Balint became interested in politics at an early age, which she later attributed to having been raised in a family affected by the Holocaust and observing how government actions affect women and minorities, including gays and lesbians.[3]
Balint attendedBarnard College ofColumbia University before transferring toSmith College.[8] She graduatedmagna cum laude from Smith with aBachelor of Arts degree in history and women's studies in 1990, received aMaster of Education degree fromHarvard University in 1995, and completed aMaster of Arts degree in history from theUniversity of Massachusetts Amherst in 2000.[8] At Smith College, Balint was coxswain for the women's crew team, who nicknamed her "the Admiral" because of her leadership skills.[3]
Balint moved to Vermont in 1994,[2] and taught middle school history and social studies and worked as a rock-climbing instructor atFarm & Wilderness summer camps inPlymouth, Vermont, in addition to teaching at theCommunity College of Vermont inBrattleboro and writing a column for theBrattleboro Reformer.[3][9][10][11] She met Elizabeth Wohl in 2000; they formed acivil union in 2004, moved to Brattleboro in 2007, and got married in 2009, after same-sex marriage was legalized in Vermont. They have two children.[9][10][12][13]
Balint supported theVermont Progressive Party in the 2000s, and supported their gubernatorial nominee,Anthony Pollina, in the2000 election.[13][14] She served as atown meeting representative and on the Development Review Board in Brattleboro.[15]
In 2014, Balint announced her campaign for aVermont Senate seat from the two-member Windham district.[13] She raised the most money in the race, around $13,000, with donations from people such asJane Lynch, and was endorsed by Majority LeaderPhilip Baruth.[16][17] Windham County Democratic Party chair Brandon Batham served as her campaign manager; he later served as a member of the city council inBarre and operations manager for theVermont Democratic Party before being accused of embezzling party funds.[18][19][20]
With one incumbent, DemocratPeter Galbraith, not running for reelection, Balint and the other incumbent,Jeanette White, won the Democratic nominations and Balint won a seat by placing second in the2014 general election, ahead of anindependent and twoLiberty Union candidates.[21][22] Her election made her the first out lesbian to serve in the state senate.[23] She was reelected in2016,2018, and2020 against independent, Liberty Union, andRepublican candidates.[24][25][26][27][28][29]
In 2017, the State Senate voted 20 to 10, with Balint in favor, to suspend SenatorNorman H. McAllister following accusations of sexual assault, his arrest in May 2015, in theVermont State House, and a criminal trial against him.[30] Balint served as the chair of the Senate Sexual Harassment Panel.[31] She also served on the Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs, Finance, and Rules Committees.[9] The Democratic caucus unanimously voted to make Balint majority leader in 2017.[23] In 2020, the Democratic caucus selected her to succeedTim Ashe aspresident pro tempore of the Vermont Senate, and she became the first woman and openlyLGBT person to serve in the role.[32][33]
During the 2016 election she was a member of the Victory Leaders Councils formed by theDemocratic National Committee.[34] During the2020 Democratic presidential primaries she and other members of theVermont General Assembly declined to endorse any candidate for president.[35]
On November 15, 2021, SenatorPatrick Leahy announced that he would not seek reelection to theUnited States Senate in2022.[36]Peter Welch, the member of theUnited States House of Representatives fromVermont's at-large congressional district, announced that he would run to replace Leahy.[37]
On December 13, Balint announced that she would seek the Democratic nomination to succeed Welch in the2022 election.[12] Balint selected Natalie Silver, Welch's former communications director, to manage her campaign.[12] She raised over $125,000 within 24 hours of her announcement.[38] Balint said she would followBernie Sanders's example by not accepting campaign contributions from corporatepolitical action committees, but accepting political action committee donations from labor unions.[39] She won the Democratic nomination and defeated Republican nomineeLiam Madden in the general election.[40][41]
TheCampaign Legal Center stated that her campaign website was usingred-boxing, a practice that allows a campaign to coordinate with super PACs.[42] During the primary, theLGBTQ Victory Fund spent around $1 million on Balint's behalf, with most of it coming from a $1.1 million donation fromFTX executiveNishad Singh.[43][44]Sam Bankman-Fried donated $26,100 to Balint.[45] When Bankman-Fried and Singh were later accused of crimes related to their operation of FTX and political contributions, Balint's staff indicated that she was cooperating with federal authorities and would follow their guidance with respect to the contributions.[46]
Balint announced that she would seekreelection on March 27, 2024.[47] She won the election with 62.29% of the vote.[48]
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In 2023, Balint was listed as one of one hundred most impactful and influential LGBTQ+ People byOut.[49]
Balint was appointed to theCommittee on Oversight and Accountability andCommittee on the Budget upon taking office. She was selected to replaceDavid Cicilline on theUnited States House Committee on the Judiciary in June 2023, after his resignation.[50]
Balint's political positions have been described asprogressive.[58]
Balint sponsored legislation to limit police involvement with immigration enforcement by the federal government, opposing PresidentDonald Trump's support for a federal registry on religious and immigration status.[59][60] She voted to expand background checks on gun sales in 2018.[61] The Vermont Conservation Voters gave her a lifetime score of 100%.[62]
Balint opposesvoter identification on the grounds that voter fraud is extremely rare and that voter ID laws are used to restrict people from voting.[63] She supported legislation that sent all votersmail-in ballots and said that it was a part of Vermont's legacy of making voting easier.[64] She sponsored legislation to implementranked choice voting for presidential and congressional elections in Vermont.[65][66]
Balint and SpeakerJill Krowinski gave an apology for Vermont's involvement ineugenics, including legislation from 1931 that supported a eugenics study conducted byHenry Farnham Perkins.[67][68] In 2021, an amendment to theConstitution of Vermont to codifyRoe v. Wade passed in the state senate, 26 to 4, with Balint in favor.[69]
In 2016, Balint opposed legislation to legalize marijuana despite her support for legalization, saying that she "believed this bill does not leave room for the home-grown and the small growers who would like to be a part of this new economy."[70] She initially voted against marijuana legalization in a 16 to 13 vote in 2017, but became the only member in the state senate to change her vote after an amendment by SenatorJohn S. Rodgers reduced the cultivation application fee that ranged from $15,000 to $25,000 to $3,000 to $7,500.[71][72]
In 2023, Balint proposed a resolution to censureMarjorie Taylor Greene and was critical of Greene's censure resolution againstRashida Tlaib.[73]
Balint voted against legislation using theInternational Holocaust Remembrance Alliance'sdefinition of antisemitism.[6]
Balint supported legislation toprohibitconversion therapy on minors.[74] She supported legislation banning thegay panic defense, which passed unanimously in the state senate, but was unable to vote for it because she was presiding in place of Lieutenant GovernorMolly Gray.[75] In 2024, Balint wrote an opinion column onMSNBC criticizing SpeakerMike Johnson and congressional Republicans for banning incoming RepresentativeSarah McBride, the first openlytransgender member of Congress, from using women's or gender-neutral restrooms in the Capitol.[76]
In 2023, Balint was among 56 Democrats to vote in favor of H.Con.Res. 21, which directed PresidentJoe Biden to remove U.S. troops fromSyria within 180 days.[77][78]
In October 2023, Balint supported Israel'sinvasion of the Gaza Strip in response to the2023 Hamas attack on Israel, and supported continued military aid to Israel stating that "Israel is literally surrounded by countries that want to destroy it, and it’s smaller than the size of Vermont. Imagine Vermont surrounded on all sides by enemies ... So it has to have that aid to defend itself. It’s in the midst of an existential threat."[79] On November 9, hundreds of protestors marched on a fundraiser hosted by Balint, demanding that she call for a ceasefire in theGaza war.[80] On November 16, she became the 32nd member of Congress and the first Jewish congressperson to do so.[81] In April 2024, Balint stated that "The United States cannot continue to support the extreme offensive that has caused unimaginable suffering to the Palestinian people" and that "supportingNetanyahu’s war in Gaza will undermine Israel’s long-term security and standing". Balint then said she would vote against offensive weapons to Israel.[82] In July, Balint boycotted Netanyahu’sspeech to Congress and said he led "the most extremist government that Israel has ever seen."[83] Balint has called Israel's actions in Gaza a genocide.[84][85][86]
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Jeanette White (incumbent) | 2,260 | 40.06% | |
| Democratic | Becca Balint | 1,684 | 29.85% | |
| Democratic | Roger Allbee | 1,240 | 21.98% | |
| Democratic | Joan Bowman | 446 | 7.91% | |
| Write-in | 11 | 0.20% | ||
| Total votes | 5,641 | 100.00% | ||
| Blank and spoiled | 990 | |||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Jeanette White (incumbent) | 7,777 | 43.44% | |
| Democratic | Becca Balint | 6,378 | 35.63% | |
| Independent | Mary Hasson | 1,973 | 11.02% | |
| Liberty Union | Jerry Levy | 899 | 5.02% | |
| Liberty Union | Aaron Diamondstone | 833 | 4.65% | |
| Write-in | 41 | 0.23% | ||
| Total votes | 17,901 | 100.00% | ||
| Blank and spoiled | 1,606 | |||
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Jeanette White (incumbent) | 4,348 | 50.43% | |
| Democratic | Becca Balint (incumbent) | 4,215 | 48.89% | |
| Write-in | 59 | 0.68% | ||
| Total votes | 8,622 | 100.00% | ||
| Blank and spoiled | 3,292 | |||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Jeanette White (incumbent) | 11,451 | 36.61% | |
| Democratic | Becca Balint (incumbent) | 11,174 | 35.72% | |
| Independent | David Schoales | 5,610 | 17.94% | |
| Liberty Union | Jerry Levy | 1,529 | 4.89% | |
| Liberty Union | Aaron Diamondstone | 1,437 | 4.59% | |
| Write-in | 78 | 0.25% | ||
| Total votes | 31,279 | 100.00% | ||
| Blank and spoiled | 10,589 | |||
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Jeanette White (incumbent) | 4,697 | 46.47% | |
| Democratic | Becca Balint (incumbent) | 4,308 | 42.62% | |
| Democratic | Wayne Vernon Estey | 1,076 | 10.65% | |
| Write-in | 26 | 0.26% | ||
| Total votes | 10,107 | 100.00% | ||
| Blank and spoiled | 2,313 | |||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Becca Balint (incumbent) | 11,464 | 39.39% | |
| Democratic | Jeanette White (incumbent) | 10,644 | 36.58% | |
| Republican | Tyler Colford | 3,861 | 13.27% | |
| Independent | Beverly Stone | 1,675 | 5.76% | |
| Liberty Union | Aaron Diamondstone | 763 | 2.62% | |
| Liberty Union | Jerry Levy | 659 | 2.26% | |
| Write-in | 35 | 0.12% | ||
| Total votes | 29,101 | 100.00% | ||
| Blank and spoiled | 6,287 | |||
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Becca Balint (incumbent) | 7,001 | 51.50% | |
| Democratic | Jeanette White (incumbent) | 6,519 | 47.95% | |
| Write-in | 74 | 0.54% | ||
| Total votes | 13,594 | 100.00% | ||
| Blank and spoiled | 3,446 | |||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Becca Balint (incumbent) | 14,520 | 37.80% | |
| Democratic | Jeanette White (incumbent) | 13,683 | 35.62% | |
| Republican | Marcus R. Parish | 4,359 | 11.35% | |
| Republican | John Lyddy | 4,265 | 11.10% | |
| Independent | Tyler Colford | 1,499 | 3.90% | |
| Write-in | 87 | 0.23% | ||
| Total votes | 38,413 | 100.00% | ||
| Blank and spoiled | 9,551 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Becca Balint | 61,025 | 60.47% | |
| Democratic | Molly Gray | 37,266 | 36.93% | |
| Democratic | Louis Meyers | 1,593 | 1.58% | |
| Democratic | Sianay Chase Clifford(withdrawn) | 885 | 0.88% | |
| Write-in | 145 | 0.14% | ||
| Total votes | 100,914 | 100.0% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Becca Balint | 176,494 | 60.45% | –6.86% | |
| Republican | Liam Madden | 78,297 | 26.85% | –0.16% | |
| Libertarian | Ericka Redic | 12,590 | 4.31% | N/A | |
| Independent | Matt Druzba | 5,737 | 1.97% | N/A | |
| Independent | Luke Talbot | 4,428 | 1.52% | N/A | |
| Independent | Adam Ortiz | 3,376 | 1.16% | N/A | |
| Write-in | 1,004 | 0.34% | +0.19% | ||
| Total votes | 291,955 | 100.00% | |||
| Democratichold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Becca Balint (incumbent) | 47,638 | 99.03% | |
| Write-in | 465 | 0.97% | ||
| Total votes | 48,103 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Becca Balint (incumbent) | 218,398 | 62.29% | +1.84 | |
| Republican | Mark Coester | 104,451 | 29.79% | –2.94 | |
| Independent | Adam Ortiz | 19,286 | 5.50% | +4.34 | |
| Green Mountain Peace and Justice | Jessy Diamondstone | 7,552 | 2.15% | N/A | |
| Write-in | 929 | 0.25% | –0.09 | ||
| Total votes | 350,616 | 100.0% | |||
| Democratichold | |||||
| Vermont Senate | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Majority Leader of theVermont Senate 2017–2021 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | President pro tempore of the Vermont Senate 2021–2023 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromVermont's at-large congressional district 2023–present | Incumbent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by | United States representatives by seniority 299th | Succeeded by |
