Bernie Sanders endorses Peter Welch, Vermont’s lone representative, for Senate

By Andrew Trunsky

Vermont Democratic Rep. Peter Welch announced that he would forgo reelection and instead launch a bid to succeed Sen. Patrick Leahy on Monday.

Welch, Vermont’s lone House member, was long expected to run, and he was endorsed almost immediately by Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who has served in the Senate alongside Leahy since 2007. Leahy, the dean of the Senate who was first elected in 1974 and the only Democrat to serve in the Senate from Vermont, announced last Monday that he would retire after eight terms.

“Peter has the knowledge and experience to fight for a government that works for all, not just the wealthy few,” Sanders said. “That’s why I’m proud to endorse Peter today and look forward to serving with him in the Senate.”

Welch, in his announcement video, emphasized the Democrats’ slim Senate majority, noting that his seat could be the deciding factor.

“Powerful outside interests will come to Vermont to try to advance their interests, not ours,” Welch said. “They know an open seat in Vermont could be the difference between passing our positive agenda and Mitch McConnell controlling the Senate again.”

Welch also criticized McConnell and Republicans for filibustering Democratic goals from voting rights legislation to Medicare for All to the Green New Deal.

“Everything gets filibustered by the Mitch McConnell Republicans in the Senate,” Welch said. “They’re fighting for failure.”

Despite Leahy’s retirement and Welch’s emphasis on keeping the Senate in Democratic control, the Vermont congressman would be an overwhelming favorite to be elected next November, assuming he wins the Democratic primary, given that his state voted for President Joe Biden by 36 points in 2020.

Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities for this original content, email licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

Image courtesy of Gage Skidmore/Flickr

9 thoughts on “Bernie Sanders endorses Peter Welch, Vermont’s lone representative, for Senate

  1. He is SUCH a joke.
    According to Welch’s website, his campaign themes in 2012 included:

    Energy: “America needs a 21st century energy policy that reduces our dependence on foreign oil, creates good jobs, and improves our environment.”
    Healthcare: “Access to quality, affordable health care for every American is long overdue.”
    Debt: “The rising level of federal debt is a threat to America’s long term economic vitality.”

    What happened? He’s a big hypocrite who absolutely can not be trusted to do the right thing. As said above, he is a minion who merely follows other people that he deems to be important at the moment. He’s dangerous, ignorant and a big waste of money.

  2. The big question is: does the VTGOP have a strong and sufficiently-Trump-disconnected woman to run, who can appeal to what’s left of Vermont’s political center?
    We know how the democrats love to bring up that Vermont has never sent a woman to Congress, yet it was the VTGOP that ran a very qualified woman with top leadership qualities, Martha Rainville against Peter Welch in 2006. So, we have had the OPPORTUNITY to elect a woman to Congress, but instead we thought it best to elect a white, male attorney. With Welch’s announcement for the Senate race, I want to re-purpose my homemade car window sign slogan from back then to say: “the Senate needs another woman, not another lawyer”.

  3. Can anyone say age and term limit restrictions need to be put in place. Sanders and Welch are so far up Biden’s backside, that this state will never be a decent state again. Too many liberals from different states moving in have ruined it. They have no clue as to what made Vermont a great state. They’ve turned it into the garbage that they left

  4. A vote for Welch is a stamp of approval of the Biden Regime. Any Democrat in office – State or Federal – owns the Biden/Pelosi/Schumer corruption. We know all about the congressional stock tips, the clandestine meetings with Chinese CCP officials, the NWO mandates, and the pharmacutical lobbying and payouts. Anyone voting Democrat from here on out approves and encourages more of the same. Don’t be fooled by RINOS – they are complicit and as enriched by these scams any Dem/Progs.

  5. Great! So we have a guy w/a Brooklyn accent endorsing a guy w/a heavy Chicago/Wiscaaansin accent? Just what we need, another left-wing carpetbagger windbag spouting off about “climate change” & other low-polling “crisis” & that “will fight for a gov.’t that works for all, not just the wealthy”. REALLY? Get outta town! Ever SEEN Pee-Wee Welches DONOR LIST? He should wear a NASCAR type suit w/patches showing who exactly he prostitutes for! Pee-Wee’s bought & paid for! I interviewed his challenger Dan Freilich in the last election cycle who HAD the stack of papers listing ALL his “donors” & it was about 2″ THICK! And isn’t Pee Wee’s wife a highly paid “lobbyist” also? He’s just what we need alright, another old white guy whose out of state accent’s so thick you could cut it w/a knife with enough MONEY in his “Whore Chest” (from major corporate “donations”) to buy ad-time on all the media..And isn’t HE an antique/elder also who’ll inflict “elder abuse” on the rest of us? We NEED a smart, middle aged CONSERVATIVE to represent US, I think his initials are JK..

    • Since our state government is elected by flatlanders it’s only right
      that we have carpetbaggers as representatives…
      Unfortunately for us in the minority there isn’t anyone one the reasonable
      side to run a race against the demwit who will be as big a political hack for
      the left as leaky was…
      The only thing we have to console us he would be irrelevant after the
      red tide of midterms which is the one good thing bydone has created

  6. Wake up Vermont, Peter ” the follower ” Welch now you know why Socialist Sanders is
    supporting him……………. yup you want it, you’ve got it with Peter.

    Come on Vermont, wake up we deserve better !!

    • Someone much wiser than I said long ago that In the end, we get exactly the government we deserve. We are about to find out.

Comments are closed.