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Portrait of Peter Welch← All people
Senator · Vermont · Democrat

Peter Welch

U.S. Senator from Vermont

Peter Welch is a U.S. senator from Vermont, a Democrat in office since January 3, 2023. He was Vermont's member of the U.S. House from 2007 to 2023 and earlier served as president pro tempore of the Vermont state senate.

See the full voting record
Public record

Office and sources

Office
U.S. Senator from Vermont
Representing
Vermont
Public role
Legislative branch
Record includes
Roll-call votes, source-linked checks, statements, and coverage
In office since
January 3, 2023
Education
College of the Holy Cross (A.B., 1969); University of California, Berkeley (J.D., 1973)
  • U.S. House History, Art and Archives: Peter Welch ↗
  • U.S. Senate: Senators from Vermont ↗
  • U.S. Senate: Committee assignments ↗
  • Congress.gov: member profile ↗
OverviewBiographyVotesIssuesClaim checks
Background

Biography

Peter Welch was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, on May 2, 1947. He graduated from the College of the Holy Cross in 1969 and earned a law degree from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1973, then worked as a lawyer in private practice.

He served in the Vermont state senate from 1981 to 1989 and again from 2002 to 2007. He was minority leader from 1983 to 1985 and president pro tempore from 1985 to 1989 and from 2003 to 2007. He sought a nomination for the U.S. House in 1988 without success. He was later elected to the House as a Democrat and served from January 3, 2007, to January 3, 2023.

Welch did not seek reelection to the House in 2022 and was elected to the Senate that year for a term ending January 3, 2029. He took his seat on January 3, 2023. He sits on the Agriculture, Finance, Rules and Judiciary committees.

Committees

  • Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
  • Committee on Finance
  • Committee on Rules and Administration
  • Committee on the Judiciary

Sources for this biography

  • U.S. House History, Art and Archives: Peter Welch ↗
  • U.S. Senate: Senators from Vermont ↗
  • U.S. Senate: Committee assignments ↗
  • Congress.gov: member profile ↗

Drafted by The Baseline's automated desk from the sources listed and checked against them on Sep 19, 2026; no other source was used. Spot an error? Request a correction.

119th Congress

The voting record at a glance

Every Senate roll-call position in the current Congress that Voteview associates with this member. Data current through Oct 1, 2026.

Recorded votes
915
Participation
94.2%
Yea / nay
283 / 579
Latest vote
Sep 30, 2026
Recorded positions

Latest roll-call votes

Position, question, result, tally, and source are shown together so readers can inspect the record without leaving the page.

DatePositionRoll callIssueResult
Sep 30, 2026NayPN1129On the NominationKeith Sonderling, of Florida, to be Secretary of LaborOfficial roll call ↗NominationsNomination Confirmed47–41
Sep 30, 2026NayPN1129On the Cloture MotionKeith Sonderling, of Florida, to be Secretary of LaborOfficial roll call ↗Other floor businessCloture Motion Agreed to53–47
Sep 30, 2026NayHR9340On Cloture on the Motion to ProceedA bill to amend the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 to establish a Federal standard relating to the recovery of the full, incremental costs of upgrades that serve large-load customers, and for other purposes.Official roll call ↗Other floor businessCloture on the Motion to Proceed Rejected57–43
Sep 30, 2026NayHR7008On Cloture on the Motion to ProceedA bill to amend chapter 131 of title 5 to require certain restrictions on stocks for Members of Congress and their spouses and dependents, and for other purposes.Official roll call ↗Other floor businessCloture on the Motion to Proceed Rejected53–47
Sep 29, 2026YeaSRES852On the Motion to DischargeA resolution requesting information on Israel's human rights practices pursuant to section 502B(c) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.Bill record ↗Official roll call ↗International AffairsMotion to Discharge Rejected47–51
Sep 29, 2026YeaSJRES197On the Motion to ProceedA joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services of the Department of Health and Human Services relating to "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, HHS Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters for 2027; and Basic Health Program".Bill record ↗Official roll call ↗HealthMotion to Proceed Rejected48–51
Sep 28, 2026YeaS4668On Passage of the BillA bill to protect the name, image, and likeness rights of, and provide protections for, student athletes and to promote fair competition among intercollegiate athletics, and for other purposes.Official roll call ↗EducationBill Passed77–22
Sep 28, 2026YeaS4668On the AmendmentTo establish certain standards with respect to coaches of varsity sports teams.Official roll call ↗Other floor businessAmendment Rejected47–52
Sep 28, 2026YeaS4668On the AmendmentTo increase the limitation on funding for post-eligibility insurance and catastrophic injury for student athletes.Official roll call ↗HealthAmendment Rejected49–50
Sep 28, 2026YeaS4668On the AmendmentTo limit price increases for college athletics tickets.Official roll call ↗Other floor businessAmendment Rejected42–54
Sep 28, 2026NayS4668On the AmendmentTo improve the bill.Official roll call ↗Other floor businessAmendment Rejected1–94
Sep 28, 2026YeaS4668On the AmendmentTo modify the provision relating to the relationship of this Act to existing law.Official roll call ↗Other floor businessAmendment Agreed to96–1
Browse all 915 recorded votes →
Patterns in the record

Vote leaning and issue mix

These are descriptive measures of roll-call behavior, not judgments about truthfulness, effectiveness, or constituent approval.

Vote leaningMore liberal
-0.399
More liberalCenterMore conservative

Based on 855 roll-call observations in the 119th Congress. This is Voteview DW-NOMINATE, an estimate from roll-call behavior—not a Baseline rating. Read the method ↗ or see our evidence rules.

Issue record

Where roll calls fall

Other floor business254
Nominations125
Crime and law enforcement116
Economics and public finance110
Armed forces and national security85
Health57
Environmental protection48

Policy areas come from Voteview’s Congressional Research Service fields, with plain-language fallback categories when no CRS label is supplied.

Source: Voteview members’ votes ↗. Lewis, Poole, Rosenthal, Boche, Rudkin, and Sonnet (2026), Voteview: Congressional Roll-Call Votes Database.

The Baseline desk

Published claim checks

Claim checks are reviewed editorial work. They are separate from the voting-data summaries above.

No published checks yet

When The Baseline verifies and publishes a check on a claim by Peter Welch, it will appear here with its evidence and primary sources. An empty record is not a rating.

Keep exploring

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Becca BalintU.S. House · VT At large→Amanda JanooCandidate for Governor of Vermont (2026)→Bernie SandersU.S. Senator from Vermont→Phil ScottGovernor of Vermont→
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