Becca Balint wins US House seat but long road awaits in DC

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - In the race for U.S. House, Becca Balint has come out on top.

The Democrat beat the Republican nominee, Liam Madden, by a large margin. Madden prided himself on being an anti-war and anti-establishment independent.

Balint is the first woman to represent Vermont in Congress. She’s also the first open LBGTQ person representing the state on a national scale.

Balint has an extensive history in lawmaking, she currently serves as the state Senate president and has passed laws surrounding gun safety and affordable housing.

Balint spoke with our Alexandra Montgomery and Dom Amato at the WCAX studio Wednesday morning to discuss her historic win and what happens next.

Control of Congress was at stake in the election, with Republicans and Democrats fighting over power in Washington.

The polls were still too close to call nationwide as of Wednesday morning, but if Democrats become the minority in the House, UVM political scientist Alex Garlick says it will be an uphill battle for Balint, noting that Peter Welch’s past two terms were spent in the majority.

“Becca doesn’t immediately get to waltz into the same positions that Peter Welch has, you know, he started on other committees and worked himself up to that. So it’s gonna take a lot of work... Becca is going to be trying to find issues that can capture the attention both of voters here in Vermont but also nationwide,” said Garlick.

Balint is taking Congressman Welch’s seat which hasn’t been open in 16 years. Her platform is based on keeping Vermonters healthy and social justice, to name a few.

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