Peter Welch
Democrat · VT · U.S. Senate
Bio
Peter Francis Welch 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 represent Vermont in the Senate, after his predecessor, Patrick Leahy.
Full bio on Wikipedia →Overall lean (DW-NOMINATE)
Issue profile
Each issue runs left ↔ right, scored from how the member voted on bills tagged to that issue (−1…+1). Issues with too few votes are blank. Overall lean uses DW-NOMINATE.
Recent notable votes
Latest news
Dems Celebrate Housing Bill: “We Finally Did Something”The bipartisan housing bill the House and Senate passed this week doesn’t go far enough, Democratic leaders say. But it’s still one of the most significant pieces of housing legislation passed in decades. Further Democratic goals on housing might have to wait…
The New Republic · June 24, 2026- Risch, Cornyn, Colleagues' Bill to Prevent Foreign Adversaries from Influencing U.S. Policy Passes Senate Foreign Relations Committee
U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, joined U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-Texas), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and John K…
Globalsecurity.org · June 22, 2026 
Democrats Probe How Much Trump Pardon Recipients Paid to Get FreeDemocrats in Congress are investigating whether President Trump’s pardons came with a payout for him. CBS News reports that Democratic Representatives Dave Min and Raul Ruiz, as well as Senator Peter Welch, have sent letters to over a dozen of the people Trum…
The New Republic · May 7, 2026
Bernie Sanders: Democrats must 'clean up their own house' on money in politics immediatelySen. Bernie Sanders is leading a coalition of Democratic senators pushing for the party’s leaders to require candidates to swear off billionaire- and corporate-backed super PACs, or political action committees, in this year’s primary elections.Sens. Jeff Merk…
Raw Story · April 28, 2026
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