Campaign finance disclosures released this week show that Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amanda Janoo continues to maintain a strong base of grassroots support in her quest to unseat Gov. Phil Scott, a Republican who has led Vermont for almost a decade.
Between September 29 and October 12, Janoo raised $181,670 — bringing her fundraising total to $888,000. Janoo has $307,000 on hand as her campaign enters the final weeks before Election Day.
Individuals who donated $100 or less accounted for $150,000 of Janoo’s total. The first-time candidate has not accepted any corporate donations. Her latest filing showed she received $3,000 from the Windham County Democratic Committee, $500 from the Washington County Democratic Committee, $950 from the Vermont State Labor Council, and an assortment of donations from other Democratic statewide candidates.
Scott, meanwhile, raised $175,406 during the same period. His fundraising total this campaign season is $590,000 and he has $202,000 left on hand. Donations from businesses and organizations — including an assortment of real estate, construction and automotive companies — account for $110,000 of the governor’s total haul. Individuals who donated $100 or less comprise $40,000 of Scott’s total.
Scott’s campaign is also benefitting from $400,000 the Republican Governors Association donated to an independent-expenditure PAC, A Stronger Vermont, which is running television advertisements criticizing Janoo and praising the governor.
In a fundraising email to supporters, Janoo’s campaign noted that the Republican Governors Association counts Elon Musk, Sheldon and Miriam Adelson, and David Koch among its top donors.
In a press release this week, the Vermont Democratic Party condemned the influx of outside money.
“National Republicans don’t spend almost half a million dollars to help keep a governor in office without a reason,” Democratic Party chair Lachlan Francis wrote. “When Donald Trump’s allies show up with a checkbook, Vermonters should ask why. Phil Scott owes voters an answer.”
The candidates are scheduled to hold their first two debates next week.
In the increasingly contentious lieutenant governor’s race, incumbent John Rodgers, a Republican, raised $75,000 between September 29 to October 12, while Democratic challenger Molly Gray, who served in the post from 2021 to 2023, took in $41,000. But Gray still has almost $123,000 on hand, while Rodgers is left with just under $50,000.
In a press release on Friday, Gray’s campaign took Rodgers’ campaign to task for spending more than $200,000 on out-of-state consulting firms, including one that has worked for President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
Rodgers, meanwhile, sent out a press release on Thursday claiming that Gray is hiding from him after postponing debates due to what she has said is an illness. The incumbent has attacked Gray for housing violations from 2024 and 2025 related to a converted barn that migrant workers used as living space on her family’s farm in Newbury.
Got something to say?
Send a letter to the editor and we'll publish your feedback in print!
