Meet Amanda Janoo, the first person to declare a Democratic candidacy for governor in 2026. She follows in the lineage of past challengers to Gov. Phil Scott in one very important — and unusual, if not unprecedented — way: No one who has been the Democratic gubernatorial nominee since Peter Shumlin’s last run in 2014, meaning no Phil Scott opponent ever, entered the race while holding elective office as a pure-D Democrat.

And that’s a massive, damning indictment of the Democratic establishment.

Let’s do the rundown.

• 2016: Sue Minter, former state representative and member of Shumlin’s cabinet, the only Scott challenger who had ever held any elective office as a pure-D Democrat. She’d served three terms as a state representative from Waterbury, ending in 2011.
• 2018: Christine Hallquist, CEO of the Vermont Electric Cooperative.
• 2020: Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman, who served as a Progressive/Democrat and got little to no support from the Democratic Party or its donor base.
• 2022; Brenda Siegel, nonprofit executive and advocate on housing and homelessness policy.
• 2024: Esther Charlestin, co-chair of the Vermont Commission on Women. (She had served on the nonpartisan Middlebury select board.)

And now Amanda Janoo, who’s had a very impressive career completely outside the realm of partisan politics. She has stepped forward at a time when top-tier and second-tier and bottom-of-the-chili-pot Democrats are nowhere to be seen.

Again, a damning indictment of the party and its (cough) leaders.

Janoo is an economic policy expert who has advised nations around the world. She works at the Wellbeing Economy Alliance, which seeks to develop economic systems that prioritize the wellbeing of people and the planet over traditional, GDP-centered models of growth. Which might sound a bit foo-foo, but Her work has involved creating and implementing practical solutions. She’s got ideas for how to make Vermont a better place for its residents and creative approaches for how to get there. Which is more than you can say for the incumbent.

Janoo announced her candidacy in a two-minute YouTube video which is well worth your time. Her candidacy is well worth your consideration.

She may not be alone in the Democratic race. Aly Richards, former head of Let’s Grow Kids and current chair of the University of Vermont Medical Center board, is said to be pondering a bid. Given the circumstances, I think that would be a positive development. It would create interest in, and news coverage of, a primary race.

That’s crucial. The advantages of unpaid attention this spring and summer far outweigh concerns about wasting time and resources. Heck, I’d advise them to hit the road together — not just traditional candidate forums, but just getting out there, meeting people and presenting their visions for Vermont. It’s not something that traditional politicians would do, but then our traditional politicians have failed us repeatedly for a full decade now.

The odds are very long for the eventual Democratic nominee, unless Scott decides to bug out. And if he does, then I’d bet a shiny new nickel that one (or more) of our timorous Democratic officeholders would suddenly find their courage and elbow their way into the race.

That’s fun to speculate about but can’t be counted on. What we have now is a brave woman with good ideas who’s willing to give it a go. She deserves our thanks and full consideration.