Biography
Rebecca (Becca) Balint was born on May 4th, 1968 in a United States Army Hospital in Germany to her father, Peter Balint, and mother Sandra Balint. Becca’s paternal grandfather, Leopold Balint, who was Jewish, was killed during the Holocaust. Peter and his mother survived the Holocaust, and immigrated to the United States in 1957. Becca Balint has talked and written about how her family’s history with the Holocaust has continued to influence her throughout her life.
When Becca was a few years old, she and her family moved to Peekskill, New York, where she grew up. After graduating high school, she went on to study at Barnard College in New York before transferring to Smith College in Massachusetts, where she finished her undergraduate degree. Although Becca was interested in politics from a young age, she believed her identity as a lesbian would make a career in the political sphere difficult. She is quoted in a VTDigger article saying “I didn’t want to serve and not be open about who I was, and I didn’t feel safe being open about who I was.”
Due to her reluctance to serve in the realm of politics, Becca decided to follow another path, and serve her community by becoming a teacher. After graduating from Smith, she went on to earn her Masters in Education from Harvard in 1995, and a Masters in History from UMass Amherst in 2001, and went on to teach at multiple schools across Vermont.
In 2000, she met her wife, Elizabeth Wohl, while working as a rock-climbing instructor at a Vermont summer camp. Becca and Elizabeth were united under a civil union in 2004, and were married in 2009, the year gay marriage was legalized in Vermont. In 2007, the two moved to Brattleboro, where she lives currently. After having two children, the couple decided that Becca would stay home and take care of the children, while Elizabeth continued to pursue her career in law.
In 2013, Becca decided to pursue her interest in serving in office. She announced her first campaign for State Senate in June of 2014, and won one of the two spots open for Democratic candidates, and went on to win the general election in November. During her years in the Vermont Senate, Becca Balint advocated for social justice issues and for programs serving low and middle-income Vermonters, as well as stricter gun legislation.
In 2022, Becca began her campaign for the United States House seat, after Peter Welch announced he would be running for the vacant seat left by Patrick Leahy in the US Senate. After a high-profile primary election, Becca prevailed against her opponent, Molly Gray. Becca swept the general election, winning approximately sixty percent of the vote. During her time in the US House of Representatives, Becca has served on the Judiciary and Budget Committees.Education
Bachelor of the Arts, Smith College
Master's in Education, Harvard University (1995)
Master's in History, UMass Amherst (2001)Occupation
Historian
Educator
Vermont State Senator, Windham County
President Pro Tem, Vermont State Senate
United States Representative from Vermont