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Peter Welch

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Peter Welch
Peter Welch.jpg
U.S. House, Vermont
Incumbent
In office
January 3, 2007-present
Term ends
January 3, 2015
Years in position 6
PartyDemocratic
PredecessorBernard Sanders (I)
Compensation
Base salary$174,000/year
Elections and appointments
Last electionNovember 6, 2012
First electedNovember 7, 2006
Next electionNovember 4, 2014
Campaign $$4,998,024
Term limitsN/A
Prior offices
Vermont State Senate
1981-1989
Education
High schoolCathedral High School, MA
Bachelor'sCollege of the Holy Cross
J.D.University of California, Berkeley
Personal
BirthdayMay 2, 1947
Place of birthSpringfield, MA
ProfessionLawyer
Net worth$4,602,548
Websites
Office website
Campaign website

Contents

Peter Welch (b. May 2, 1947) is a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from the state of Vermont. Welch is the only representative from Vermont and was first elected to the House in 2006. He won re-election in 2012.[1]

Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Welch is a "rank-and-file Democrat".[2]

Welch serves as one of the Chief Deputy Whips of the Democratic caucus for the 113th Congress.[3]

Biography

After earning his bachelor's degree from College of the Holy Cross and his J.D. from the University of California, Welch worked as a lawyer and eventually started his own firm.[4]

Career

Committee assignments

U.S. House

2013-2014

Welch serves on the following committees:[5]

2011-12

Welch was a member of the following House committees[6]:

  • Committee on Agriculture
    • Subcommittee on Rural Development, Research, Biotechnology and Foreign Agriculture
    • Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management
  • Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
    • Subcommittee on National Security, Homeland Defense and Foreign Operations
    • Subcommittee on TARP, Financial Services and Bailouts of Public and Private Programs

Issues

Campaign themes

According to Welch's website, his campaign themes included:

  • Energy: "America needs a 21st century energy policy that reduces our dependence on foreign oil, creates good jobs, and improves our environment."
  • Healthcare: "Access to quality, affordable health care for every American is long overdue."
  • Debt: "The rising level of federal debt is a threat to America’s long term economic vitality."[7]

Specific votes

Fiscal Cliff

Voted "Yes" Welch voted for the fiscal cliff compromise bill, which made permanent most of the Bush tax cuts originally passed in 2001 and 2003 while also raising tax rates on the highest income levels. He was one of 172 Democrats that voted in favor of the bill. The bill was passed in the House by a 257/167 vote on January 1, 2013.[8]

Elections

2012

See also: Vermont's at-large congressional district elections, 2012

Welch won re-election in the 2012 election for the U.S. House, representing Vermont's at-large district. He ran unopposed in the Democratic primary on August 28, 2012 and defeated Mark Donka (R), James Desrochers (I), and Andre LaFramboise (VoteKISS) in the general election on November 6, 2012.[9]

U.S. House, Vermont, At-large District General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark.jpgPeter Welch Incumbent 72% 208,600
     Republican Mark Donka 23.3% 67,543
     Independent James Desrochers 2.9% 8,302
     Third Andre LaFramboise 0.4% 1,153
     Third Jane Newton 1.4% 4,065
Total Votes 289,663
Source: Vermont Board of Elections "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election"

Full history


Campaign donors

Comprehensive donor information for Welch is available dating back to 2006. Based on available campaign finance records, Welch raised a total of $4,998,024 during that time period. This information was last updated on April 2, 2013.[13]

Peter Welch's Campaign Contribution History
Year Office Result Contributions
2012 US House (Vermont, At-Large District) Won $950,025
2010 (Vermont, At-Large District) Won $1,027,181
2008 (Vermont, At-Large District) Won $954,510
2006 (Vermont, At-Large District) Won $2,066,308
Grand Total Raised $4,998,024

2012

Breakdown of the source of Welch's campaign funds before the 2012 election.

Welch won re-election to the U.S. House in 2012. During that re-election cycle, Welch's campaign committee raised a total of $950,026 and spent $669,593.[14]

2010

Breakdown of the source of Welch's campaign funds before the 2010 election.

Welch won re-election to the U.S. House in 2010. During that re-election cycle, Welch's campaign committee raised a total of $1,027,181 and spent $698,547.[15]

Analysis

Lifetime voting record

See also: Lifetime voting records of United States Senators and Representatives

According to the website GovTrack, Welch missed 121 of 5,233 roll call votes from January 2007 to April 2013. This amounts to 2.3%, which is worse than the median of 2.1% among current congressional representatives as of April 2013.[16]

Congressional staff salaries

See also: Staff salaries of United States Senators and Representatives

The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Welch paid his congressional staff a total of $989,570 in 2011. Overall, Vermont ranks 12th in average salary for representative staff. The average U.S. House of Representatives congressional staff was paid $954,912.20 in fiscal year 2011.[17]

Net worth

See also: Net Worth of United States Senators and Representatives

2011

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Welch's net worth as of 2011 was estimated between $2,459,097 and $6,745,999. That averages to $4,602,548, which is lower than the average net worth of Democratic Representatives in 2011 of $5,107,874. His average net worth increased by 4.69% from 2010.[18]

2010

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Welch's net worth as of 2010 was estimated between $2,287,107 to $6,506,000. That averages to $4,396,553.50, which is lower than the average net worth of Democratic Representatives in 2010 of $4,465,875.[19]

National Journal vote ratings

2012

Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of congress voted in the previous year. Welch ranked 81st in the liberal rankings in 2012.[20]

2011

See also: National Journal vote ratings

Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of congress voted in the previous year. Welch ranked 111th in the liberal rankings.[21]

Political positions

Percentage voting with party

November 2011

The website Open Congress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus. According to the website, Welch voted with the Democratic Party 91.2% of the time, which ranked 133 among the 192 House Democratic members in November 2011.[22]

Personal

Welch is married to Margaret Cheney.[4]

Recent news

This section displays the most recent stories in a Google news search for the term Peter + Welch + Vermont + House

All stories may not be relevant to this page due to the nature of the search engine.

Peter Welch News Feed


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External links


References

  1. ↑ Politico "2012 Election Map"
  2. ↑ Gov Track "Welch" Accessed May 24, 2012
  3. ↑ Office of the Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer "Hoyer Announces Whip Team for the 113th Congress," January 4, 2013
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Official House website "About Peter," Accessed November 5, 2011
  5. ↑ CQ.com, House Committee Rosters for the 113th Congress
  6. ↑ Official House website "Committee Assignments," Accessed November 5, 2011
  7. ↑ Welch for Congress, "Issues," Accessed October 10, 2012
  8. ↑ U.S. House "Roll Call Vote on the Fiscal Cliff" Accessed January 4, 2013.
  9. ↑ Official primary candidate list
  10. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010"
  11. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 4, 2008"
  12. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 4, 2008"
  13. ↑ Open Secrets "Career Fundraising for Peter Welch," Accessed April 2, 2013
  14. ↑ Open Secrets "Welch Campaign Contributions," Accessed February 24, 2013
  15. ↑ Open Secrets "Peter Welch 2010 Election Cycle," Accessed November 5, 2011
  16. ↑ GovTrack, "Welch," Accessed April 11, 2013
  17. ↑ LegiStorm, "Peter Welch," Accessed September 13, 2012
  18. ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Welch (D-Vermont), 2011"
  19. ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Peter Welch (D-Vt), 2010," Accessed September 13, 2012
  20. ↑ National Journal, "2012 Congressional Vote Ratings," February 28, 2013
  21. ↑ National Journal, "Searchable Vote Ratings Tables: House," February 23, 2012
  22. ↑ Open Congress "Voting With Party"
Political offices
Preceded by
Bernard Sanders (I) 		U.S. House of Representatives - Vermont, At-Large
2007-Present 		Succeeded by
-
v • d • e
Vermont's current delegation to the United States Congress
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