And there it is: A major ad buy from the Republican Governors Association, which hasn’t bothered to spend real money in Vermont since 2020. The RGA’s local outlet, A Stronger Vermont, just reported spending $160,869 for a blitz of ads mentioning Gov. Phil Scott and his Democratic opponent Amanda Janoo.

Be prepared for an onslaught of attack ads featuring ominous music and weirdly darkened images of Janoo. Because this is only the first step in the plan: The RGA has donated a total of $400,000 to A Stronger Vermont, so there’s plenty of money in the bank for more negative advertising.

We’ve seen the polls showing the most competitive gubernatorial race in a decade. We’ve seen the Scott campaign spend more than $210,000 in the past two weeks on TV and digital ads. And now, here comes the RGA stomping its way into our little corner of the world.

Yep, Phil Scott is no longer safe. He knows it, and national Republicans know it.

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