Peter Welch | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2022 | |
| United States Senator fromVermont | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2023 Serving with Bernie Sanders | |
| Preceded by | Patrick Leahy |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromVermont'sat-large district | |
| In office January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Bernie Sanders |
| Succeeded by | Becca Balint |
| 73rd & 78thPresident 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 theVermont Senate | |
| In office January 5, 1983 – January 8, 1985 | |
| Preceded by | Robert Daniels |
| Succeeded by | Allen Avery |
| Member of theVermont Senate from theWindsor 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 (1947-05-02)May 2, 1947 (age 78) |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouses | |
| Education | College of the Holy Cross (BA) University of California, Berkeley (JD) |
| Website | Senate website Campaign website |
Welch questions witnesses for further clarity on USDA organic rules. Recorded February 1, 2023 | |
Peter Francis Welch (born May 2, 1947) is an American lawyer and politician serving since 2023 as thejuniorUnited States senator fromVermont. A member of theDemocratic Party, he was theU.S. representative forVermont'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 represent Vermont in the Senate, after his predecessor,Patrick Leahy.
Born inSpringfield, Massachusetts, Welch graduated from theCollege of the Holy Cross and theUniversity of California, Berkeley, School of Law. He practiced law for several decades, first as apublic defender and then as apersonal injury lawyer in a law practice he founded.[1] He was a member of theVermont 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 torun for the United States House of Representatives and lost the Democratic primary toPaul N. Poirier. He was the Democratic nominee forgovernor of Vermont in1990, losing the general election to RepublicanRichard 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 reelected in 2002 and 2004 and was Senate president from 2003 to 2007. In 2006, Welchwas elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, succeedingBernie Sanders, who waselected to theUnited States Senate. In November 2021, Welch announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination in the2022 United States Senate election in Vermont to succeed retiring SenatorPatrick Leahy.[2][3] On August 9, 2022, he won the Democratic primary. On November 8, 2022, Welch won the general election, defeating Republican nominee Gerald Malloy.[4][5][6] Elected at age 75, he is the oldest person to become a freshman senator, a record previously held byFrederick H. Gillett.
Welch was born inSpringfield, Massachusetts, in 1947, to Edward and Mary Welch.[7] His father was a dentist and his mother was a homemaker.[7] He attended Cathedral High School (nowPope Francis Preparatory School). In 1969, he graduated from theCollege of the Holy Cross with aBachelor of Arts (B.A.),magna cum laude, in history.[8] Welch spent a year in Chicago as a fellow at theRobert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights, then enrolled in theUniversity of California, Berkeley, School of Law, earning hisJuris Doctor (J.D.) in 1973.[9][10]
Welch "worked with low-income people on Chicago's West Side in the late 1960s"[11] as acommunity organizer. He worked for an organization that was affiliated with theSouthern Christian Leadership Conference, and its activities included attendance at an SCLC national convention inAtlanta. Participants there strategized and heard remarks fromRalph Abernathy,Hosea Williams, andMartin Luther King Jr.[12]
Welch worked forLloyd Cutler, who later was White House Counsel during the administrations of presidentsJimmy Carter andBill Clinton, at a Washington law firm.[11]
After graduating from law school, Welch moved to Vermont in 1973. He was a law clerk for Judge Henry Black of theVermont Superior Court.[11] He worked for several years as a public defender for low-income clients inWindsor County andOrange County.[11] Welch was a partner for 30 years in thepersonal injurylaw firm Welch, Graham & Manby inWhite River Junction, Vermont.[9]
In 1980, Welch was elected to theVermont Senate fromWindsor County. In his second term, Welch was chosen as theMinority Leader, and he becamepresident pro tempore after Democrats gained control of the Senate.[9] Welch was the first Democrat to be Vermont's senate president, since Vermont was a bastion for theWhigs and then theRepublicans for more than 100 years beginning in the 1830s.[13]
In 1988, Welch left the Vermont Senate to make an unsuccessful run for the Democratic nomination for theU.S. House of Representatives.
In 1990, Welch won the Democratic nomination forgovernor of Vermont but lostthe general election to RepublicanRichard Snelling.[9]
Welch did not run for another office for more than a decade; in 2001, GovernorHoward Dean appointed him to fill a vacant Vermont Senate seat in Windsor County. He was elected to the seat in 2002 and reelected in 2004, and again was presidentpro tempore.[9]
When Vermont's U.S. Representative,Bernie Sanders, ran for theU.S. Senate in 2006, Welch chose to run for Sanders's seat. He defeatedRepublicanMartha Rainville in the general election, 53% to 45%, in a race where both candidates pledged to be entirely positive.[14] Welch was the first Democrat to representVermont in the House since 1961, and only the second since 1853 (though Sanders, an independent, caucused with the Democrats[15]).
Welch was reelected with no major-party opposition, becoming the first Democrat to be reelected to the House from Vermont since 1848. He was in the unusual position of being both the Democratic and Republican nominee for the seat, due to Republican voters writing his name in on the blank primary ballot.[16]
Welch was reelected with 64% of the vote against Republican nominee Paul Beaudry, Liberty Union nominee Jane Newton, Working Families nominee Sheila Coniff, and independent candidate Gus Jaccaci.[citation needed]
Welch defeated Republican nominee Mark Donka, Liberty Union candidate Jane Newton, and Independent candidates James "Sam" Desrochers and Andre LaFramboise with 72% of the vote.[citation needed]
Welch was reelected to a fifth term with 64.4% of the vote, defeating Republican Mark Donka, Matthew Andrews of the Liberty Union Party and Independents Cris Ericson, Randall Meyer and Jerry Trudell.[citation needed]
Welch ran unopposed in the Democratic primary, and also got more votes in the Republican primary than any other candidate, with 4.51% via write-ins. He defeated Liberty Union candidate Erica Clawson in the general election with 90% of the vote to Clawson's 10%.[17]
Welch was reelected to a seventh term with 69.2% of the vote, defeating Republican nominee Anya Tyino, Cris Ericson of the Marijuana Party, and Laura Potter of the Liberty Union Party.[18]
Welch was reelected to an eighth term with 67.3% of the vote, defeating Republican nominee Miriam Berry and Independent candidate Peter Becker.[19]
One area where Welch was at odds with vocal constituents was the matter of the impeachment of PresidentGeorge W. Bush and Vice PresidentDick Cheney. Welch said that ending theIraq War was a top priority, and impeachment would distract Congress from addressing that outcome. Advocates of impeachment protested at Welch's Vermont offices.[20]
Welch worked with former House Majority LeaderEric Cantor on a bill to increase funding at theNational Institutes of Health for pediatric research and with RepresentativePaul Ryan to reverse proposed regulations that would have banned the use of wooden shelves for ageing cheese wheels. He touts his bipartisanship and describes himself as "very independent". He bucked his party leadership by voting againstarming and training Syrian rebels and opposes "boots on the ground" in dealing withISIL. He believes climate change is a "glaring problem", opposed travel bans in response to theEbola epidemic and supports immigration reform that addresses border concerns but does not close them.[21]
In his first term, Welch attracted attention for his partnership with SenatorCharles Grassley in challenging colleges and universities with substantial endowments to spend more of those funds on operating expenses (including, perhaps, lower tuition).[22]
On February 19, 2016, Welch endorsedBernie Sanders for theDemocratic nomination for president.[23] He endorsed him again in 2020.[24]
During thefirst impeachment of Donald Trump, Welch invited Trump to testify before theHouse Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence in response toJim Jordan's criticism of the impeachment. Welch spoke directly after Jordan, saying, "I say to my colleague, I'd be glad to have the person who started it all come in and testify", adding, "President Trump is welcome to take a seat right there."[25] On December 18, 2019, Welch voted for both articles of impeachment against Trump.[26]
In the 110th Congress, Welch was a member of theCommittee on Rules and theCommittee on Oversight and Government Reform.
In the 111th Congress, Welch was on theCommittee on Energy and Commerce, the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and theCommittee on Standards of Official Conduct.
In the 112th Congress, Welch was a member of theCommittee on Agriculture and the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Beginning with the 112th Congress, he also was a Chief DeputyWhip, one of several who are part of Democratic WhipSteny Hoyer's organization for managing legislation and votes on the House floor.
During the 113th, 114th, 115th, 116th, and 117th Congresses, Welch was a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
On November 15, 2021, incumbent Patrick Leahy announced that he would not seek reelection in the2022 U.S. Senate election. Welch was considered a possible contender for the seat.[35] On November 22, Welch announced his candidacy to succeed Leahy.[36] He won the Democratic primary by a large margin, and defeated Republican nominee Gerald Malloy in the general election.[37][38]
Welch participated in the2016 United States House of Representatives sit-in to supportgun control.[43]
Welch supports a national assault weapons ban.[44]
Welch supports transgender rights and gender-affirming medical care and counseling for transgender and nonbinary adults and adolescents.[45]
On November 26, 2023, Welch called for an indefinite ceasefire in theGaza war. He was the third U.S. senator, the second member of Vermont's congressional delegation, and the first senator from Vermont to do so.[46]
In January 2024, Welch voted for a resolution proposed by SenatorBernie Sanders to apply thehuman rights provisions of theForeign Assistance Act toU.S. aid to Israel's military. The proposal was defeated, 72 to 11.[47] In April 2025, Welch voted for a pair of resolutions Sanders proposed to cancel theTrump administration's sales of $8.8 billion in bombs and other munitions to Israel. The proposals were defeated, 82 to 15.[48]
Welch was the first Democratic senator to call onJoe Biden to withdraw from the2024 United States presidential election.[49] On July 10, 2024,The Washington Post published Welch's op-ed in which he said that President Biden should drop out for the "good of the country".[50]
In January 2025, Welch co-sponsored theKids Off Social Media Act (KOSMA), which was introduced by SenatorsBrian Schatz,Chris Murphy,Ted Cruz, andKatie Britt. The Act was also co-sponsored by SenatorsTed Budd,Mark Warner,John Curtis,Angus King, andJohn Fetterman. It would set a minimum age of 13 to use social media platforms and prevent social media companies from feeding "algorithmically targeted" content to users under age 17.[51]
Welch supports reproductive rights,abortion rights, and access tobirth control. He supports federal nationwide legislation to makeabortion legal. He supportsRoe v. Wade. After it was overturned, Welch said: "Our U.S. Supreme Court has totally failed us. In the name of 'state rights,' they have taken away freedom and caused distress and uncertainty for women across the country. It's outrageous that because of this Court and this decision, women have fewer reproductive rights than they did fifty years ago. The choice to have an abortion is deeply personal and now, in many states, it's in the hands of judges and legislators". He continued, "Women deserve to know their reproductive health care and access to abortion won't change when they cross state lines—they need consistent, federal standards and protections. I'm continuing to call on Congress to pass legislation that will restore, protect and expand access to abortion and reproductive care nationwide".[52]
Since 2009, Welch has been married toMargaret Cheney, a former member of theVermont House of Representatives who was appointed to theVermont Public Service Board in 2013.[53] He was married to Joan Smith from 1986 until she died ofcancer in 2004.[54] Welch has five stepchildren from his first marriage and three from his second.[55]
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