Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amanda Janoo raised more money than Republican Gov. Phil Scott in September, according to financial disclosures released on Thursday night. The filings lend credence to recent polling that suggests this year’s governor’s race is the most competitive since Scott first ran for governor a decade ago.
The filings, posted on the Secretary of State’s website, show Janoo — an economist originally from Strafford — brought in $291,000 last month, bringing her total fundraising haul to $706,000. More than $113,000 of her total contributions this election cycle were $100 or less. Janoo, a newcomer to politics, has spent $426,000 in total, leaving her with $280,000 on hand.
Scott, who first won election in 2016, raised $223,000 during the same period. His fundraising total this election cycle is $414,000, to which he’s added $219,000 he had on hand from previous campaigns. Small-dollar donors accounted for around $32,000 of Scott’s fundraising total this election cycle. The governor has spent $337,000 — with $296,000 still in the bank.
When Scott first ran for governor in 2016, he raised almost $1.6 million, campaign filings show. He’s raised considerably less in subsequent elections. In 2022, for example, he raised $264,000, while in 2024, he brought in $357,000.
Both Janoo and Scott have spent money on television advertisements in recent weeks. In September, the Scott campaign paid around $137,000 to Hen House Media for TV ads. Janoo’s camp, meanwhile, shelled out $60,000 to Mosaic Communications on September 29 — her campaign’s first foray into television ads.
Janoo’s donor list includes some familiar names. State Treasurer Mike Pieciak’s campaign donated the maximum $5,180, while U.S. Sen. Peter Welch’s (D-Vt.) campaign chipped in $4,700. Janoo also received donations from Rep. Emilie Kornheiser (D-Brattleboro) and former Burlington mayor Peter Clavelle. Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, the founders of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, also donated to her campaign. While Janoo has not accepted any corporate money, she pulled in $5,180 from the Vermont-NEA and $4,000 from VPIRG.
Top donors for Scott, meanwhile, include Barre mayor Thom Lauzon and three of Lauzon’s family members, who donated a total of $20,720. Amy, Brian and Richard Tarrant Jr. — family members of the late IDX Systems cofounder Rich Tarrant — each contributed the maximum $5,180. Scott also took money from an array of local and national companies, including tobacco and vape manufacturer Reynolds American, tech giant Meta, Pleasant Valley Farms of Berkshire and Shelburne Limestone Corporation.
Gov. Scott did not hold any public campaign events in September and has declined invitations to two gubernatorial forums — one at the Tunbridge World’s Fair and another that aired earlier this week on CCTV’s Town Meeting TV. Janoo and Scott are slated to go head-to-head in a Vermont Public debate on October 21, followed by one sponsored by WCAX-TV on October 28.
On Thursday, Janoo released a public statement calling for the governor to debate sooner after he made public comments and social media posts criticizing her past statements on the F-35 fighter jets, which she said were taken out of context.
“Governor Scott and I may genuinely disagree about some of these things,” Janoo wrote. “That’s democracy. So rather than trading sound bites through the press, let’s have the debate. I’m ready.”
In the lieutenant governor’s race, Republican incumbent John Rodgers raised $150,000 in September while Democrat Molly Gray took in $95,000. This election cycle, though, Gray, who served as lieutenant governor from 2021 to 2023, has pulled in a total of $521,000 and has $141,000 in cash on hand. Rodgers, who ran unopposed in the Republican primary, has raised a total of $293,000 and has $84,000 left with just over a month before election day.
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