Burlington, VT - Peter Welch, candidate for U.S. Congress, today received the endorsement of Vermont Woman magazine as their chosen candidate in the 2006 race for Vermont's lone house seat. Vermont Woman wrote:

"In this race, and in this election, we believe a courageous, principled stand is paramount, and that Peter Welch (D) will best represent Vermont in the U.S. House of Representatives as a strong defender of reproductive rights, environmental protection, economic equality, and civil liberties...

"While we do not dismiss Rainville solely on her party affiliation, the realities of a narrowly divided House of Representatives are inescapable and we cannot in good conscience endorse someone who will, certainly, vote to maintain the existing leadership on that chamber."

Vermont Woman, October 2006, Editorial:

"In this race, and in this election, we believe a courageous, principled stand is paramount, and that Peter Welch (D) will best represent Vermont in the U.S. House of Representatives as a strong defender of reproductive rights, environmental protection, economic equality, and civil liberties.

"Perhaps no race is more challenging for this newspaper than that between Welch and Martha Rainville (R) for Congress...

"Rainville is running on a platform of professed integrity, determined to bring honor to the U.S. House of Representatives. As a candidate to speak for women, however, she has flinched on a number of issues.

"Rainville is only marginally pro-choice. She supports parental notification laws, bans on selected abortion procedures, and limiting over-the-counter access to emergency contraception even to adults, despite the overwhelming objections by the medical community that such positions place women of all ages at risk.

"In contrast, Welch's legislative, not just rhetorical, record demonstrates consistent and principled advocacy for the women of Vermont during his five terms in the State Senate over the last two decades. He supports reproductive rights without qualification or condition, and doesn't balk at describing the efforts of the current administration and Republican Congressional leadership as waging a coordinated and sustained attack on women's right to refuse unwanted pregnancy. He supported a Vermont bill increasing access to emergency contraception and decried the FDA's politically-motivated delay in making a federal decsion on the issue...

"Welch also spoke out early and strongly against the invasion of Iraq, as well as against the reported use of torture (which has been excused as 'necessary' for not placing ourselves at a disadvantage in the 'war on terror.')

"Both candidates have pledged to combat global warming, but Welch has a more progressive platform for moving away from a reliance on fossil fuels - including the increase of fuel efficiency, repealing tax cuts given to oil companies last year, restoring royalties on resources extracted from public lands, and signing onto the Kyoto protocols. Rainville has spoken strongly in favor of a 'commonsense, economically viable plan' to 'curb America's oil consumption', but has failed to sufficiently explain what details such a plan might include.

"While we do not dismiss Rainville solely on her party affiliation, the realities of a narrowly divided House of Representatives are inescapable and we cannot in good conscience endorse someone who will, certainly, vote to maintain the existing leadership on that chamber."