Senator Patrick Leahy, seen here at the US Capitol in September, announced Monday that he is not seeking another term representing Vermont.
Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images
hide captions
switch captions
Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images
Senator Patrick Leahy, seen here at the US Capitol in September, announced Monday that he is not seeking another term representing Vermont.
Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images
Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy, longest serving member in the Senate, announcing Monday that he will not run for re-election in 2022.
“Marcelle and I have come to the conclusion that it’s time to take down. It’s time to pass the torch to the next Vermonter, who will continue this work to our great state. Time to go home.” , I said. a press conference at the state capital in Montpelier.
Leahy, a Democrat, said he wanted to make the announcement “here at home, just a few yards from where I grew up”.
Leahy, 81, was first elected to the United States Senate in 1974 and currently serves as the Senate’s interim president, a constitutional role bestowed on the longest-serving lawmaker in the majority party, making him third in the presidential line of succession. During his tenure, he chaired the Agriculture, Justice and Appropriations committees.
“It is the greatest honor to represent you in Washington,” he told the Vermonters. “I am humble and will always be there to support you,” he said.
‘Good judgment and hard work’
Leahy described arriving in the Senate in 1975 “at a time of constitutional crisis”, following the Watergate scandal and subsequent resignation of President Richard Nixon, and the war in Vietnam.
“Within just a few months of taking office, as the newest and by far most junior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, we were asked to vote to reauthorize and continued the war in Vietnam,” recalls Leahy, noting that support for the war in Vermont was going strong at the time. “But I’ve always been against it. We voted five times. Each time, the vote to continue the war was defeated by one vote. I’m proud to be that one vote.”
“My hope is that the people of Vermont will respect my judgment and my conscience, even if they disagree with my vote to end the war,” he said. “I learned early in my career that good judgment and hard work are exactly what the people of Vermont expect from their representatives.”
Senator Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., Released a report on December 5, 1977, outlining examples of harassment and retaliation against government employees who reported waste and misconduct.
Henry Griffin / AP
hide captions
switch captions
Henry Griffin / AP
Senator Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., Released a report on December 5, 1977, outlining examples of harassment and retaliation against government employees who reported waste and misconduct.
Henry Griffin / AP
In Monday’s announcement, Leahy listed various legislative accomplishments during his eight terms in the Senate, including his championing of the environment and cleaning up Lake Champlain, advocating for a democracy. independent law, ban the export of mines, and work to advance First update to the Violence Against Women Act, where LGBTQ protections were added.
In 2016, Leahy was outspoken about Republicans’ refusal to hold hearings on the nomination of federal Judge Merrick Garland to the US Supreme Court. Four years later, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced he would continue to nominate then-President Donald Trump’s Amy Coney Barrett, just ahead of the presidential election.
Leahy yelped.
Grandfather speak on NPR’s Weekend Edition. “It’s really going to go down in the journals of political hypocrisy.”
Leahy is brought into the national spotlight in 2021, when he presiding over the second impeachment trial of Trump in his role as president of the Senate.
“This is not what I asked for,” Leahy later told The New York Times. “I’ve never had anyone, Republican or Democrat, say my rulings were unfair.”
Leahy joins five other senators – all Republicans – who have said they will not run for re-election. His announcement also created the first congressional seat in Vermont since 2006.
Reminiscing about his political legacy on Monday, Leahy said he’s proud “because I know my time has made a difference.”
“I know I was there for my state when I needed it most,” he said. “I have brought Vermont’s voice to the United States Senate and Vermont’s values around the world.”
