Congressman Boucher is a native of Abingdon, Virginia, where he currently lives. He earned his BA from Roanoke College and his law degree from the University of Virginia Law School. He has practiced law on Wall Street in New York and in Virginia. Prior to his election to Congress, he served for seven years as a member of the Virginia State Senate.

He was first elected to Congress in 1982, defeating longtime incumbent William C. Wampler. As of 2005, Congressman Boucher is serving his 12th term in the U.S. House of Representatives, and will run for a 13th term in November, 2006. He is expected to face conservative Republican State Delegate Charles W. "Bill" Carrico of Grayson County. He sits on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the Judiciary Committee and has been an Assistant Whip since 1985.

Congressman Boucher has been active on Internet-related legislation, including a bill which became law in 1993 authorizing electronic commerce by permitting for the first time the transmission of commercial messages over the Internet. His proposals to promote competition in the cable and local telephone industries contributed to the enactment of the Telecommunications Act of 1996.

Congressman Boucher originated the House Internet Caucus and is currently its co-chairman. He also created the Digital Media Consumer's Rights Act (DMCRA) legislation and co-authored the Anti-SPAM Act of 2003.

Long considered "married to his job", Boucher announced his engagement at age 59 to Amy Hauslohner, a newspaper editor from Galax, Virginia. Said Boucher of the engagement "We have decided since I will be 60 in August and she just turned 50 last week, we probably are mature enough to handle marriage."