Becca Balint

Becca Balint
Born	Rebecca A. Balint 4 5, 1968
Birthplace	Heidelberg, West Germany
Nationality	American
Occupation	Politician, educator
Known for	First woman and openly LGBTQ person elected to Congress from Vermont; first woman and openly LGBTQ person to serve as president pro tempore of the Vermont Senate
Education	Smith College (BA) Harvard University (MEd) University of Massachusetts Amherst (MA)
Children	2
Website	[beccabalint.com Official site]

Rebecca A. "Becca" Balint (Template:IPAc-en; born May 4, 1968) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for Vermont's at-large congressional district since January 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, Balint previously served in the Vermont Senate representing Windham County from 2015 to 2023, during which time she held leadership positions as majority leader (2017–2021) and president pro tempore (2021–2023). Born in Heidelberg, West Germany, and raised in Peekskill, New York, Balint moved to Vermont in 1994 and built a career as a middle school teacher, rock-climbing instructor, and newspaper columnist before entering electoral politics. Her election to Congress in 2022 was historic on multiple fronts: she became the first woman and the first openly LGBTQ person to represent Vermont in the United States Congress. Prior to her election, Vermont had been the only state in the nation that had never sent a woman to Congress. Her tenure in the Vermont Senate had already established a series of firsts: she was the first openly acknowledged lesbian elected to the chamber, the first woman to serve as president pro tempore, and the first openly LGBTQ person to hold that position in the state's history.

Early Life

Rebecca A. Balint was born on May 4, 1968, in Heidelberg, West Germany. Her birth in West Germany was connected to her family's circumstances at the time. She was raised in Peekskill, New York, a small city in the Hudson Valley region of New York State.

Balint attended Walter Panas High School in the Lakeland Central School District in Cortlandt Manor, near Peekskill. Her upbringing in the Hudson Valley shaped her early experiences and worldview before she eventually relocated to New England for higher education and, later, permanent residence.

In 1994, Balint moved to Vermont, where she would build both her professional career and her political life. She settled in the Brattleboro area of Windham County, in the southeastern corner of the state. There, she became involved in a variety of pursuits: she worked as a middle school teacher, served as a rock-climbing instructor, and wrote a column for the Brattleboro Reformer, the local daily newspaper. These varied roles connected her to the community in Windham County and gave her a public profile in the region well before she sought elected office. Her work as an educator, in particular, would become a recurring theme in her political career, as she frequently drew on her classroom experience when discussing education policy and youth issues.

Balint also became active in local politics and civic life in Windham County during the years before she ran for the Vermont Senate. Her community engagement in the Brattleboro area laid the groundwork for her eventual entry into state-level politics in 2014.

Education

Balint initially attended Barnard College in New York City before transferring to Smith College, a women's liberal arts college in Northampton, Massachusetts, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. She subsequently pursued graduate education at two institutions in Massachusetts. She earned a Master of Education (MEd) from Harvard University and a Master of Arts (MA) from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her graduate training in education informed her career as a middle school teacher, which she pursued for a number of years before entering politics. The combination of her liberal arts undergraduate education and her dual graduate degrees in education-related fields provided the academic foundation for the policy expertise she later brought to the Vermont Legislature and to Congress.

Career

Vermont Senate

Balint was first elected to the Vermont Senate in 2014, representing the Windham district. She succeeded Peter Galbraith in the seat and served alongside fellow Senator Jeanette White. Her election was notable in that she became the first openly acknowledged lesbian to serve in the Vermont Senate.

Balint quickly rose through the ranks of the Senate Democratic caucus. In January 2017, she was elected by her fellow Senate Democrats to serve as majority leader, succeeding Philip Baruth in the role. As majority leader, Balint was responsible for managing the Senate floor on behalf of the Democratic majority, coordinating legislative strategy, and serving as a key liaison between the caucus and the president pro tempore. She held the majority leader position for four years, from January 2017 to January 2021.

In November 2020, following the general election, Senate Democrats nominated Balint to serve as president pro tempore of the Vermont Senate, the chamber's top leadership position. She succeeded Tim Ashe and was formally installed as president pro tempore on January 6, 2021. The selection was historic: Balint became the first woman and the first openly LGBTQ person to serve as president pro tempore of the Vermont Senate. In Vermont's governmental structure, the president pro tempore of the Senate is a position of considerable influence, serving as the presiding officer of the upper chamber and playing a central role in shaping the legislative agenda.

During her tenure as president pro tempore, Balint led the Senate through the latter portion of the COVID-19 pandemic and oversaw the passage of various legislative priorities. She served in this capacity from January 2021 until January 2023, when she departed the Vermont Senate to take her seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. She was succeeded as president pro tempore by Philip Baruth.

Over her eight years in the Vermont Senate (2015–2023), Balint established herself as a progressive voice within the Democratic caucus. Her rapid ascent from freshman senator to majority leader to president pro tempore reflected both her legislative skills and the confidence her colleagues placed in her leadership.

2022 U.S. House Campaign

The path to Balint's congressional candidacy was set in motion by a series of events in late 2021. On November 15, 2021, longtime U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy announced that he would not seek reelection in 2022, creating an open seat after decades of service. Shortly thereafter, on November 22, 2021, U.S. Representative Peter Welch, who held Vermont's sole congressional seat, announced that he would run for Leahy's open Senate seat rather than seek reelection to the House. Welch's decision to vacate the House seat opened up a rare opportunity in Vermont politics: an open race for Vermont's at-large congressional district.

On December 13, 2021, Balint formally announced her candidacy for the U.S. House seat. As president pro tempore of the Vermont Senate, she entered the race with significant statewide name recognition and a record of legislative leadership. The Democratic primary attracted a competitive field of candidates in a state where winning the Democratic nomination is tantamount to winning the general election.

Balint's campaign emphasized her progressive record, her experience leading the Vermont Senate, and the historic nature of her candidacy. Vermont was, at the time, the only state in the nation that had never elected a woman to serve in the United States Congress — a distinction that Balint's campaign sought to change.

Balint won the Democratic primary and went on to win the general election in November 2022. Her victory made her the first woman and the first openly LGBTQ person to represent Vermont in Congress, ending the state's status as the last in the nation never to have sent a woman to Capitol Hill.

U.S. House of Representatives

Balint took office on January 3, 2023, succeeding Peter Welch, who moved to the U.S. Senate. As a member of the 118th United States Congress, she represented the entirety of Vermont as the state's sole at-large member of the House.

In Congress, Balint has served on the House Judiciary Committee, among other assignments. Her committee work has placed her at the center of several high-profile legislative and oversight proceedings.

Epstein Files Hearing and Clash with Attorney General Bondi

In February 2026, Balint attracted national attention during a House Judiciary Committee hearing involving U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi. During the hearing, Balint pressed Bondi about Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick's ties to Jeffrey Epstein and attempted to question the Attorney General about the Justice Department's handling of related files.

The exchange became contentious. According to reporting by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Bondi deflected Balint's questions and raised Balint's record on antisemitism, prompting Balint — who is Jewish — to leave the hearing room. The Advocate reported that Bondi was "disrespectful and combative" in deflecting the questions, and described Bondi as suggesting that the Jewish lesbian lawmaker was antisemitic. Balint was quoted during the hearing as saying, "This is pathetic. I am not asking trick questions." The incident was widely covered in national media and generated significant public discussion.

Response to Trump Tariff Ruling

In February 2026, Balint issued a public statement responding to a Supreme Court ruling regarding President Donald Trump's tariff authority. In her statement, Balint commented on the implications of the ruling for congressional authority over trade policy.

People's State of the Union

In February 2026, Balint announced that she would not attend President Trump's State of the Union address, instead choosing to attend an alternative event called the "People's State of the Union." According to WCAX, Balint was among a group of lawmakers who planned to skip the presidential address. Balint stated that her attendance at the alternative event was intended to highlight the impacts of Trump administration policies.

Personal Life

Balint is openly lesbian and has been public about her LGBTQ identity throughout her political career. Her identity has been central to several of the historic milestones associated with her elections and leadership positions, including her status as the first openly LGBTQ person elected to the Vermont Senate, the first to serve as president pro tempore, and the first to represent Vermont in Congress.

Balint is Jewish. Her Jewish identity became a subject of public discussion during the February 2026 House Judiciary Committee hearing, when Attorney General Pam Bondi raised the topic of antisemitism in response to Balint's questioning.

She has two children. Balint resides in the Brattleboro area of Windham County, where she has lived since moving to Vermont in 1994.

Recognition

Balint's political career has been marked by a series of firsts that have drawn recognition both within Vermont and nationally. Her 2014 election to the Vermont Senate made her the first openly acknowledged lesbian to serve in that body. Her selection as president pro tempore in 2021 made her both the first woman and the first openly LGBTQ person to hold that position in Vermont's history.

Her 2022 election to Congress received national attention as a historic milestone. Vermont had been the last state in the country that had never elected a woman to serve in the United States Congress. Balint's victory ended that distinction and simultaneously made her the first openly LGBTQ person to represent the state in Congress. These firsts were noted by numerous national media outlets and LGBTQ advocacy organizations at the time of her election.

Her February 2026 exchange with Attorney General Pam Bondi during the House Judiciary Committee hearing drew widespread media coverage and was reported by outlets including Vermont Public, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, The Advocate, and The Washington Post.

Legacy

Although Balint's congressional career is ongoing, her impact on Vermont political history is already established. Vermont's distinction as the last state never to have elected a woman to Congress persisted for more than two centuries until Balint's election in 2022. Her candidacy and victory addressed a long-standing gap in Vermont's representation and were viewed as a significant moment in the state's political development.

Within the Vermont Senate, Balint's rise from a first-term senator to majority leader within three years, and then to president pro tempore, demonstrated a rapid ascent through the chamber's leadership structure. Her tenure as the first woman and first openly LGBTQ president pro tempore established precedents in a state that, despite its progressive reputation on LGBTQ rights — Vermont was the first state to establish civil unions — had not previously elevated a woman or an openly LGBTQ individual to the top position in either legislative chamber.

In Congress, Balint has positioned herself as a progressive member of the Democratic caucus. Her willingness to engage in confrontational oversight exchanges, such as the February 2026 hearing with Attorney General Bondi, has raised her national profile and drawn attention to issues including government transparency and the intersection of identity with public service.

Balint's career as a former teacher also contributes to her profile as one of relatively few members of Congress with extensive K-12 classroom experience, a background that informs her approach to education and youth policy.