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Lt. Gov. Molly Gray and Senate President Pro Tempore Becca Balint are the leading candidates in a Democratic U.S. House primary that could make either of them the first female member of Vermont’s congressional delegation.
Gray has the backing of the centrist lane of the party, with endorsements from former Govs. Madeline Kunin and Howard Dean. Retiring U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy donated $5,000 to her campaign and cast a ballot for her.
Balint has been endorsed by an all-star list of progressive leaders, including the state’s other U.S. senator, Bernie Sanders; Rep. Pramila Jayapal, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus; and Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, the founders of Vermont’s famously progressive ice cream company, Ben & Jerry’s.
The winner of Tuesday’s primary is expected to cruise to victory in November in deep-blue Vermont. Despite the state’s liberal credentials built up over the last half century, the lack of turnover in the congressional delegation has made Vermont the only state in the country that has never been represented in Washington by a woman.
Leahy’s retirement after 48 years in office set the stage for the history-making moment. U.S. Rep. Peter Welch, who has been in Congress since 2007, decided to run for Leahy’s Senate seat. That opened up his House seat for Gray or Balint, who would also be the first openly gay person to represent Vermont in Congress if elected.
