I am happy to see the announcement of Christina Nolan that she has chosen to enter the race to replace retiring Sen. Leahy.
What I am sorry to see is that Congressman Peter Welch is the presumptive candidate for the Democratic Party in Vermont. While I may disagree with most of his political views, I feel that he can be more effective continuing as congressman for our state, considering his seniority in the House of Representatives.
He is choosing to leave this position to move to the Senate as a freshman, with little or no clout, and doing this at a time when he will be almost 76 years old when he takes office. How long will he be able to serve effectively in order to gain that seniority? History shows us that senators with long-term service are the most powerful.
I am wondering why three of the best Democratic women in politics in our state have chosen to enter into the race to replace Welch in the House of Representatives. Would I be presumptive to think that the leaders of the state Democratic Party don’t want a viable choice in the race to Congressman Welch?
The politicians keep saying that it’s time for Vermont to send a woman to Congress. Why restrict that possibility to just one race instead of two? Well, maybe we will have to count on Republican Christine Nolan to bring that possibility to light.
Dean A. Alexander
Ludlow
