Vermont House 2026: Becca Balint, Historic At-Large Seat
1 at-large seat · Becca Balint (D) first woman and first gay Vermonter in Congress · Won 2022 with 67% · D+35 state · No Republican path · Sanders legacy
Vermont At-Large Seat Overview
Vermont's At-Large Seat: History and Context
Vermont Senate President to Congress: Firsts and Priorities
Becca Balint became the first woman and first openly gay person elected to Congress from Vermont when she won the 2022 at-large election. She had previously served in the Vermont State Senate and rose to become Senate President Pro Tempore — the chamber's top leadership position. Balint won a competitive Democratic primary against Lieutenant Governor Molly Gray, with Bernie Sanders and other progressive figures backing her. She won the general election with 67% against a Republican candidate. In Congress, she serves on the House Judiciary and Education committees. Her priorities align with Vermont's progressive political culture: Medicare for All, climate action, LGBTQ rights, and education funding. She is considered a reliable progressive vote and has been a vocal critic of Republican efforts to restrict transgender rights — a particularly resonant issue given her own identity and the national political context of her 2022 win.
Bernie's 16 Years in the House: Vermont's Political Foundation
Bernie Sanders represented Vermont's at-large House seat from 1991 to 2007 as an Independent — the only Independent member of the House during that period. His 16 years in the House were followed by a Senate career in which he ran twice for president and became the most prominent democratic socialist politician in American history. Sanders' presence in Vermont politics for over three decades has shaped the state's political culture in profound ways: Vermont voters are comfortable supporting candidates who identify outside the two-party system, comfortable with explicit democratic socialist policy positions, and oriented toward high civic participation. Peter Welch held the House seat from 2007 to 2023, continuing the progressive tradition, before moving to fill Sanders' Senate seat when Patrick Leahy retired. Balint's election continued the unbroken progressive representation of Vermont's House seat.
D+35 Federally, But GOP Governor — Vermont's Peculiar Politics
Vermont presents one of American politics' most interesting paradoxes: it is the most Democratic state in the country in presidential elections (D+35) and sends three unambiguous progressives to Congress, yet consistently elects Phil Scott as governor with 70%+ of the vote. Scott is a moderate Republican who supports abortion rights, is critical of Trump, and has governed pragmatically on economic and environmental issues. Vermont voters apparently distinguish sharply between state and federal politics: for president and Congress, they want the most progressive options available; for governor, they prefer a competent, moderate manager. Scott has positioned himself as a check on legislative excess while working with the Democratic supermajority in the state legislature. This political sophistication reflects Vermont's highly educated, civically engaged electorate — a state where town meeting democracy is still practiced and voters think carefully about which office they're filling.
