Democrat Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) launched his Senate campaign on Monday to replace retiring Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), abandoning the Democrats in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) dwindling majority.
Welch’s Senate bid makes him the seventeenth Democrat leaving the House for retirement or running for another office. Leahy announced last week he would not be speaking reelection.
“I’m running for the United States Senate to work for you, for Vermont, for our country, and for our imperiled democracy,” the 74-year old tweeted Monday. Welch has been Vermont’s at-large congressional district representative since 2007 and has been involved in politics for nearly 30 years.
In a roughly two-minute campaign video, he spoke about all the issues that have been “filibustered by the Mitch McConnell Republicans in the Senate,” including “voting rights,” “Medicare for All,” “Green New Deal,” “lowering prescription drug costs,” “reproductive justice,” and “racial and economic justice.”
Self-described socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-TV), the only other member of the state’s congressional delegation, has already endorsed Welch.
“Welch understands that if we are going to combat the existential threat of climate change, establish universal health care, lower the cost of prescription drugs, create good paying jobs in Vermont and protect American democracy, now is the time to think big, not small,” Sanders said in his endorsement.
Welch running for Senate leaves his seat wide open for another potentially brutal battle for state Democrats looking to run, also giving Republicans a chance at an open Senate and House seat. This also allows Sanders an opportunity to endorse and help elect another far-left candidate of his choosing to fill Vermont’s at-large congressional district.
Jacob Bliss is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow him on Twitter.