Well, it finally happened. Sen. Bernie Sanders has endorsed Amanda Janoo for governor. He posted an announcement video yesterday, and sent an email blast touting the endorsement this morning to his vaunted mailing list.

Finally, says I. Better late than never.

I still don’t know what took so damn long, but this is not a moment to be churlish. Or at least not a moment to dwell on the churlishness even if it can’t be entirely ignored.

In his slightly under three-minute endorsement video, he offers a hint about why he held off so long:

I personally like Phil Scott, and have worked with the governor on a number of issues over the years. But I believe it’s time for a change, time for new leadership, time for a kind of energy and bold ideas that we’re not seeing in Montpelier right now.

The first line points to a possible explanation for Sanders’ non-endorsement: A reluctance to cross an incumbent governor he has to work with. Reasonable, I suppose, although anyone with Phil Scott-levels of political experience ought to know that good politicians should be able to set aside campaign differences after the votes are counted.

He goes on to enumerate some of those bold ideas: Free primary and preventative care as a stepping stone toward universal health care, higher property taxes on second homes and corporately-owned homes, a moratorium on AI data centers, and a ban on Flock cameras. He closes by saying that Janoo “has the leadership qualities and energy we need right now to become a great governor.”

So, it’s all good from this point forward. The Congressional delegation is united behind Janoo. Party luminaries from the entire Democratic spectrum, progressive to moderate, are showing up behind her. Hopefully the money flow will increase, because she needs at least a minimal presence on mass media to boost her name recognition and counter Scott’s misleading attacks on her record.

The latter being a sign that Scott has noticed he’s in a competitive race for the first time in a decade, and that he needs to tarnish Janoo’s reputation to win back the undecided voters who used to support him. More signs: Scott has reported spending another $64,610 on TV and digital advertising so far this month, on top of the $150,000-plus he shelled out in late September.

Bernie’s belated weigh-in won’t help the governor sleep soundly at night, and it should provide a boost for Janoo. Obligatory caveat: Every time I post something optimistic about Janoo, I have to remind everyone (myself included) that Phil Scott is still the favorite to win another term. But after years of doughty but under-resourced candidates getting chewed up and spit out by the Scott machine, it’s awfully nice to feel even a glimmer of hope about sending America’s most overrated governor [Ed.: citation needed] out to pasture.