Vermont Democratic US Rep. Peter Welch to seek Senate seat

Vermont’s sole member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Democratic Rep. Peter Welch, announced Monday that he will run for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy. “That’s never happened in our history where violence was used and there was an effort to stop the peaceful transfer of power.” Shortly after Welch announced his candidacy, Vermont’s independent U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders endorsed him, saying he “has the knowledge and experience to hit the ground running as a strong advocate for Vermont’s working families.” The decisions by Leahy and now Welch will create the first open seats in Vermont’s three-member congressional delegation since 2006, when Sanders moved to the Senate and Welch took his seat in the House. It’s unclear whom the state GOP will find to run for either the Senate seat or the House seat, but the party chair said many Vermont residents want a fresh face in Washington. “Peter Welch is a relic of the past, and now is the time for Vermonters to choose a candidate with an eye on the future, and Vermont Republicans will provide voters with options for a future that works — not one that continues us down the path of Welch’s ‘Imperiled Democracy,’” Vermont GOP Chair Paul Dame said in a written statement on Monday.