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Becca Balint

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Becca Balint
Member-elect of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Vermont's at-large district
Assuming office
January 3, 2023
SucceedingPeter Welch
82nd President pro tempore of the Vermont Senate
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 6, 2021
Preceded byTim Ashe
Majority Leader of the Vermont Senate
In office
January 6, 2017 – January 6, 2021
Preceded byPhilip Baruth
Succeeded byAlison H. Clarkson
Member of the Vermont Senate
from the Windham district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 7, 2015
Serving with Jeanette White
Preceded byPeter Galbraith
Personal details
Born (1968-05-04) May 4, 1968 (age 56)
Heidelberg, West Germany
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseElizabeth Wohl
Children2
EducationSmith College (BA)
Harvard University (MEd)
University of Massachusetts Amherst (MA)
WebsiteCampaign website

Rebecca A. Balint (born May 4, 1968) is an American politician who is a member of the Vermont Senate from Windham County, Vermont, and as the president pro tempore of the Vermont Senate since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, she served as the majority leader in the state senate from 2017 to 2021.

Balint was born in Heidelberg, West Germany, and raised in Peekskill, New York. She was educated at Walter Panas High School, Smith College, Harvard University, and University of Massachusetts Amherst. She moved to Vermont in 1994, and worked at the Community College of Vermont in Brattleboro, Vermont.

She served as a town meeting representative and on the Development Review Board in Brattleboro. She was elected to the state senate alongside Jeanette White in 2014, becoming the first lesbian to serve in the state senate. Balint was selected to serve as majority leader by the Democratic caucus in 2017, and as the president pro tempore in 2021. She is the first woman and LGBT person to serve as president pro tempore in Vermont.

Balint became the representative-elect[1] from Vermont's at-large congressional district in its 2022 election. She will be the first woman and the first LGBT person to serve in Congress for Vermont. Her election marked the first time that all 50 U.S. states have elected at least one woman to the U.S. Congress, as Vermont was the last remaining state that had never done so.[2]

Early life and education

Rebecca A. Balint was born in a United States Army hospital in Heidelberg, West Germany, on May 4, 1968, to Peter and Sandra Balint, and was raised in Peekskill, New York. Her grandfather was killed during the Holocaust and her Hungarian-Jewish father immigrated to the United States in 1957.[3] She graduated from Walter Panas High School in 1986. Balint graduated magna cum laude from Smith College with a Bachelor of Arts degree, a Master of Education degree from Harvard University in 1995, and with a Master of Arts degree in history from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She later worked at the Community College of Vermont in Brattleboro, Vermont.[4][5][6][7]

Balint came out as a lesbian in the sixth grade, although she came out formally after high school, after she was bullied for telling another girl she had a crush on her, with "lezzie" written on her locker. She moved to Vermont in 1994. She met Elizabeth Wohl in 2000, formed a civil union with her in 2004, moved to Brattleboro with her in 2007, and married her in 2009, after same-sex marriage was legalized in Vermont. The couple have two children.[4][5][8][9]

Balint supported the Vermont Progressive Party in the 2000s, and supported their gubernatorial nominee, Anthony Pollina, in the 2000 election.[9][10] She served as a town meeting representative and on the Development Review Board in Brattleboro.[11]

Career

Vermont Senate

Elections

Balint announced her campaign for the Democratic nomination for a seat in the Vermont Senate against Peter Galbraith, who retired, and Jeanette White in the 2014 elections.[9] She raised the most money in the race, around $13,000, with donations from people such as Jane Lynch, and was endorsed by Majority Leader Philip Baruth.[12][13] Brandon Batham, the chair of the Democratic Party in Windham County, served as her campaign manager and later as the campaign manager for Kesha Ram's lieutenant gubernatorial campaign.[14] Balint won the Democratic nomination alongside White and placed second in the general election ahead of an independent and two Liberty Union candidates.[15][16] Her election made her the first lesbian to serve in the state senate.[17] She was reelected in 2016, 2018, and 2020 against independent, Liberty Union, and Republican candidates.[18][19][20][21][22][23]

Tenure

In 2017, the state senate voted 20 to 10, with Balint in favor, to suspend Senator Norman H. McAllister following accusations of sexual assault, his arrest in May 2015, in the Vermont State House, and a criminal trial against him.[24] Balint served as the chair of the Senate Sexual Harassment Panel.[25] During her tenure in the state senate she has served on the Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs, Finance, and Rules committees.[4] The Democratic caucus unanimously voted to make Balint majority leader in 2017.[17] In 2020, the Democratic caucus selected her to replace Tim Ashe as president pro tempore of the Vermont Senate, and she became the first woman and LGBT person to serve in the role.[26][27]

During the 2016 election she was a member of the Victory Leaders Councils formed by the Democratic National Committee.[28] During the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries she and other members of the Vermont General Assembly declined to endorse any candidate for president.[29]

2022 United States House of Representatives campaign

See also: 2022 United States House of Representatives election in Vermont
Balint's congressional campaign logo

On November 15, 2021, Senator Patrick Leahy announced that he would not seek reelection to the United States Senate in 2022.[30] Peter Welch, a member of the United States House of Representatives from Vermont's at-large congressional district, announced that he would run to replace Leahy.[31]

On December 13, Balint announced that she would seek the Democratic nomination to succeed Welch in the 2022 election.[8] Natalie Silver was selected as her campaign manager.[8] She raised over $125,000 within 24 hours of her announcement.[32] Balint said she would follow Bernie Sanders's example by not accepting campaign contributions from corporate political action committees, but accepting political action committee donations from labor unions.[33] The Campaign Legal Center stated that her campaign website was using red-boxing, a practice that allows a campaign to coordinate with super PACs.[34]

During the primary, the LGBTQ Victory Fund spent about $1 million on Balint's behalf. Most of the money came from a $1.1 million donation from Nishad Singh, a top executive at the cryptocurrency exchange FTX.[35][36]

Balint won the Democratic nomination with over 60% of the vote.[37]

Political positions

Balint sponsored legislation to limit police involvement with immigration enforcement by the federal government, opposing President Donald Trump's support for a federal registry on religious and immigration status.[38][39] She voted to expand background checks on gun sales in 2018.[40] The Vermont Conservation Voters gave her a lifetime score of 100%.[41]

Balint opposes voter identification on the grounds that voter fraud is extremely rare and that voter ID laws are used to restrict people from voting.[42] She supported legislation that sent all voters mail-in ballots and said that it was a part of Vermont's legacy of making voting easier.[43] She sponsored legislation to implement ranked choice voting for presidential and congressional elections in Vermont.[44][45]

Balint supported legislation to prohibit conversion therapy on minors.[46] She supported legislation banning the gay panic defense, which passed unanimously in the state senate, but was unable to vote for it because she was presiding in place of Lieutenant Governor Molly Gray.[47] She and Speaker Jill Krowinski gave an apology for Vermont's involvement in eugenics, including legislation from 1931 that supported a eugenics study conducted by Henry Farnham Perkins.[48][49] In 2021, an amendment to the Constitution of Vermont to codify Roe v. Wade passed in the state senate, 26 to 4, with Balint in favor.[50]

In 2016, Balint opposed legislation to legalize marijuana despite her support for legalization, saying that she "believed this bill does not leave room for the home-grown and the small growers who would like to be a part of this new economy."[51] She initially voted against marijuana legalization in a 16 to 13 vote in 2017, but became the only member in the state senate to change her vote after an amendment by Senator John S. Rodgers reduced the cultivation application fee that ranged from $15,000 to $25,000 to $3,000 to $7,500.[52][53]

Electoral history

2014 Vermont Senate Windham district Democratic primary[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Jeanette White (incumbent) 2,260 40.06%
Democratic Becca Balint 1,684 29.85%
Democratic Roger Allbee 1,240 21.98%
Democratic Joan Bowman 446 7.91%
Democratic Write-ins 11 0.20%
Total votes 5,641 100.00%
Blank and spoiled 990
2014 Vermont Senate Windham district election[16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Jeanette White (incumbent) 7,777 43.44%
Democratic Becca Balint 6,378 35.63%
Independent Mary Hasson 1,973 11.02%
Liberty Union Jerry Levy 899 5.02%
Liberty Union Aaron Diamondstone 833 4.65%
Independent Write-ins 41 0.23%
Total votes 17,901 100.00%
Blank and spoiled 1,606
2016 Vermont Senate Windham district Democratic primary[18]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Jeanette White (incumbent) 4,348 50.43%
Democratic Becca Balint (incumbent) 4,215 48.89%
Democratic Write-ins 59 0.68%
Total votes 8,622 100.00%
Blank and spoiled 3,292
2016 Vermont Senate Windham district election[19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Jeanette White (incumbent) 11,451 36.61%
Democratic Becca Balint (incumbent) 11,174 35.72%
Independent David Schoales 5,610 17.94%
Liberty Union Jerry Levy 1,529 4.89%
Liberty Union Aaron Diamondstone 1,437 4.59%
Independent Write-ins 78 0.25%
Total votes 31,279 100.00%
Blank and spoiled 10,589
2018 Vermont Senate Windham district Democratic primary[20]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Jeanette White (incumbent) 4,697 46.47%
Democratic Becca Balint (incumbent) 4,308 42.62%
Democratic Wayne Vernon Estey 1,076 10.65%
Democratic Write-ins 26 0.26%
Total votes 10,107 100.00%
Blank and spoiled 2,313
2018 Vermont Senate Windham district election[21]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Becca Balint (incumbent) 11,464 39.39%
Democratic Jeanette White (incumbent) 10,644 36.58%
Republican Tyler Colford 3,861 13.27%
Independent Beverly Stone 1,675 5.76%
Liberty Union Aaron Diamondstone 763 2.62%
Liberty Union Jerry Levy 659 2.26%
Independent Write-ins 35 0.12%
Total votes 29,101 100.00%
Blank and spoiled 6,287
2020 Vermont Senate Windham district Democratic primary[22]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Becca Balint (incumbent) 7,001 51.50%
Democratic Jeanette White (incumbent) 6,519 47.95%
Democratic Write-ins 74 0.54%
Total votes 13,594 100.00%
Blank and spoiled 3,446
2020 Vermont Senate Windham district election[23]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Becca Balint (incumbent) 14,520 37.80%
Democratic Jeanette White (incumbent) 13,683 35.62%
Republican Marcus R. Parish 4,359 11.35%
Republican John Lyddy 4,265 11.10%
Independent Tyler Colford 1,499 3.90%
Independent Write-ins 87 0.23%
Total votes 38,413 100.00%
Blank and spoiled 9,551

See also

References

  1. ^ "Democrat Becca Balint wins election to US House in Vermont's First Congressional District". Boston Globe. Associated Press. November 8, 2022. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  2. ^ Shivaram, Deepa (November 8, 2022). "Vermont ends streak as the last state to send a woman to Congress". NPR. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  3. ^ Kampeas, Ron. "In Vermont, Becca Balint's Congress run is inspired by her Holocaust survivor father". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c "Senator Becca Balint". Vermont General Assembly. Archived from the original on December 14, 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Vermont Sen. Becca Balint Announces Run for U.S. House". Seven Days. December 13, 2021. Archived from the original on December 14, 2021.
  6. ^ "CCV announces new faculty members". Brattleboro Reformer. March 29, 2004. p. 5. Archived from the original on December 14, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Balint feels the pressure as a historic Senate chief, but looks to focus on coronavirus". Vermont Digger. January 5, 2021. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021.
  8. ^ a b c Duffort, Lola (December 13, 2021). "Becca Balint, leader of the Vermont Senate, joins race for US House". Vermont Digger. Archived from the original on December 14, 2021.
  9. ^ a b c "Woman on the Rise: Becca Balint's Ascent From Stay-at-Home Mom to Senate Majority Leader". Seven Days. February 21, 2018. Archived from the original on December 14, 2021.
  10. ^ "Progressives hold key to state's future". Brattleboro Reformer. September 15, 2000. p. 4. Archived from the original on December 14, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Five seek Windham County Senate seats". Vermont Digger. October 31, 2014. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021.
  12. ^ "White, Balint win Senate primary". Rutland Herald. August 28, 2014. p. A7. Archived from the original on December 14, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Two upsets and close contests mark legislative primaries". The Burlington Free Press. August 27, 2014. p. A4. Archived from the original on December 14, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Ram". Rutland Herald. October 13, 2015. p. B2. Archived from the original on December 14, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ a b "2014 State Senator Democratic Primary". Secretary of State of Vermont. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021.
  16. ^ a b "2014 State Senator General Election". Secretary of State of Vermont. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021.
  17. ^ a b "Walters: Senate Democrats Elect Becca Balint as Majority Leader". Seven Days. January 4, 2017. Archived from the original on December 14, 2021.
  18. ^ a b "2016 State Senator Democratic Primary". Secretary of State of Vermont. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021.
  19. ^ a b "2016 State Senator General Election". Secretary of State of Vermont. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021.
  20. ^ a b "2018 State Senator Democratic Primary". Secretary of State of Vermont. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021.
  21. ^ a b "2018 State Senator General Election". Secretary of State of Vermont. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021.
  22. ^ a b "2020 State Senator Democratic Primary". Secretary of State of Vermont. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021.
  23. ^ a b "2020 State Senator General Election". Secretary of State of Vermont. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021.
  24. ^ "VT senator loses seat over sex charges". The Burlington Free Press. January 7, 2016. p. A2. Archived from the original on December 14, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ "Vt. legislators eye harassment rules". Rutland Herald. December 8, 2017. p. A1. Archived from the original on December 14, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ^ "Senate Democrats nominate Balint as first woman and openly gay pro tem". Vermont Digger. November 22, 2020. Archived from the original on December 14, 2021.
  27. ^ "Most top jobs in Legislature go to women". Rutland Herald. November 25, 2020. p. A2. Archived from the original on December 14, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. ^ "State leaders join Democratic National Committee council". Vermont Digger. September 30, 2016. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021.
  29. ^ "Buttigieg, Bloomberg, Warren eye Vermont's Super Tuesday delegates". Vermont Digger. February 28, 2020. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021.
  30. ^ "Leahy Won't Seek Reelection Next Year". Seven Days. November 15, 2021. Archived from the original on December 14, 2021.
  31. ^ "Welch Announces He'll Run for Leahy's Senate Seat". Seven Days. November 22, 2021. Archived from the original on December 14, 2021.
  32. ^ "Balint Banks $125,000 on First Day of Congressional Campaign". Seven Days. December 14, 2021. Archived from the original on December 14, 2021.
  33. ^ "Balint, jumping into race for Congress, pledges to 'show up' and bridge partisan divide". Brattleboro Reformer. December 13, 2021. Archived from the original on August 9, 2022.
  34. ^ "Becca Balint has denounced super PACs. Is her campaign winking at them anyway?". Vermont Digger. June 13, 2022. Archived from the original on September 14, 2022.
  35. ^ https://vtdigger.org/2022/08/25/a-crypto-moguls-hidden-hand-in-vermonts-congressional-race-stunned-observers-its-a-common-trick/
  36. ^ https://vtdigger.org/2022/11/14/billionaire-supporters-of-balints-primary-bid-find-themselves-at-center-of-cryptocurrency-industry-collapse/amp/
  37. ^ Cathey, Libby (August 9, 2022). "Vermont on brink of sending a woman to Congress for 1st time in state's history". ABC News. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  38. ^ "Vermont pushes bill to block Trump immigration orders". The Burlington Free Press. February 10, 2017. p. A5. Archived from the original on December 14, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  39. ^ "Trump". The Burlington Free Press. February 10, 2017. p. A6. Archived from the original on December 14, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  40. ^ "Vote". The Burlington Free Press. March 2, 2018. p. A4. Archived from the original on December 14, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  41. ^ "Becca Balint Legislative Scorecard". Vermont Conservation Voters. Archived from the original on December 20, 2021.
  42. ^ "Two upsets and close contests mark legislative primaries". Rutland Herald. April 2, 2015. p. A7. Archived from the original on December 14, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  43. ^ "Vt. Senate OKs mail-in voting". The Post-Star. March 22, 2021. p. A4. Archived from the original on December 14, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  44. ^ "Vermont Ranked Choice Voting Bill Has 8 Sponsors". Ballot Access News. February 1, 2022. Archived from the original on February 6, 2022.
  45. ^ "Vermont legislators to consider ranked choice voting for federal elections come 2024". Vermont Digger. January 31, 2022. Archived from the original on February 3, 2022.
  46. ^ "Ban". The Burlington Free Press. March 17, 2016. p. C6. Archived from the original on December 14, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  47. ^ "Senate unanimously approves ban on LGBTQ 'panic' defense". Vermont Digger. April 21, 2021. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021.
  48. ^ "Public apology for eugenics". Rutland Herald. October 23, 2021. p. C5. Archived from the original on December 14, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  49. ^ "Vermont's legislative leaders apologize for state-sanctioned eugenics movement". Vermont Digger. October 18, 2021. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021.
  50. ^ "Senate approves state constitutional amendments on slavery, abortion rights". Vermont Digger. April 9, 2021. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021.
  51. ^ "Senate". Rutland Herald. February 25, 2016. p. A3. Archived from the original on December 14, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  52. ^ "Marijuana legalization moves to Vermont House". The Burlington Free Press. February 26, 2017. p. A2. Archived from the original on December 14, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  53. ^ "Senate approves marijuana legalization". Rutland Herald. February 26, 2017. p. A7. Archived from the original on December 14, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
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Vermont Senate
Preceded by Majority Leader of the Vermont Senate
2017–2021 		Succeeded by
Preceded by President pro tempore of the Vermont Senate
2021–present 		Incumbent
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