U.S. Rep.-elect Becca Balint, D-Vt., is already making an impression with her progressive soon-to-be colleagues in the U.S. House.
On Thursday, Balint was elected vice chair for new members in the House Progressive Caucus — a leadership position available to new members, like Balint, to begin making a name for themselves within the caucus. Balint was unopposed for the role.
At the top of the caucus’s leadership roster for the next Congress are high-profile progressives U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., and U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., who will serve as caucus chair and deputy chair, respectively.
In a Thursday tweet celebrating her election, Balint said, “I was elected to do the work, and that’s exactly what I am going to do for Vermonters, and for working people everywhere.”
Balint’s bid for leadership within the Progressive Caucus aligns with her trajectory as a primary, then general election, candidate who occupies the left lane of the Democratic Party. In Vermont’s hotly contested Democratic primary, Balint positioned herself to the left of her chief competitor, Lt. Gov. Molly Gray. She also garnered early support from one of the nation’s most prominent progressives: Vermont’s own U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.