Patrick Leahy was elected to the United States Senate in 1974 and remains the only Democrat elected to this office from Vermont. At 34, he was the youngest U.S. Senator ever to be elected from the Green Mountain State.
Leahy was born in Montpelier and grew up across from the State House. A graduate of Saint Michael's College in Colchester (1961), he received his Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center (1964). He served for eight years as State's Attorney in Chittenden County where he gained a national reputation for his law enforcement activities and was selected as one of three outstanding prosecutors in the United States in 1974.
The Senate has a vital constitutional role, to advise and consent on the president’s Cabinet and other Executive Branch appointments, and to act as a constitutional check on Executive power. Senator Leahy has always taken these responsibilities seriously.
Senator Leahy has heard from countless concerned Vermonters about President Trump’s actions and nominations. From a blanket ban on entire nationalities facing horrific violence and devastation – fomenting fear, confusion and needless disruptions in the lives of countless families -- to the Cabinet nominations of Senator Sessions and Betsy DeVos, among others, Senator Leahy shares these concerns with many Vermonters.
Here you can find news about the administration’s actions, and Senator Leahy’s responses and actions. If you have an opinion about these or other issues as the new administration goes forward, please feel free to contact Senator Leahy