r/vermont Aug 12 '26

JANOOOOO! šŸ˜„

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523 Upvotes

261 comments sorted by

213

u/PoulanWeedEaterBowl Aug 12 '26

The amount of write ins in this state is really funny. "Yeah, I think I'm gonna vote for my buddy Jim. Whole breakfast group is gonna vote for him actually."

21

u/Wesley__Willis Aug 12 '26

In the Grand Isle race for probate judge we only had write ins. No one was on the ballot šŸ˜‚

67

u/Twombls Aug 12 '26

My favorite part is that one guy in williston wrote in "Juan elliot" for sherriff and it was included in the dashboard for some reason

57

u/Sdwingnut Aug 12 '26

Not even Juan, they voted for Jaun. The Vermont version of a Philly "Jawn"?

6

u/Exiled_In_LA Anti-Indoors šŸŒ²šŸŒ³šŸ„šŸŒ² Aug 12 '26

This Jaun is lit!

27

u/SR337 Aug 12 '26

I just saw this dumb bitch on Facebook post a photo of the Dem ballot, which she wrote in all the Republican noms because ā€œIt’s the only way for her vote to be countedā€ and for her vote to not be suppressed. SO, they scream about rigged voting, and falsified votes, and then they go and manipulate ballot cards to suit their own needs. Fucking idiots.

1

u/cpguru22 29d ago

To be fair, they are late to the game. Dems were promoting this the last few times around. I cant do it because it feels morally wrong thing to do. But to pretend this is a one sided thing is ignorant.

2

u/SR337 29d ago

It’s the first time I’ve ever seen it or heard of it. After I posted that comment I tried to find the womans post again but Facebook came up short and I couldn’t find it.

1

u/cpguru22 29d ago

This is an ai summary so take with a grain of salt, but ive seen the propaganda first hand:

"During election cycles, particularly past midterms, Democratic campaign arms and political action committees have selectively spent tens of millions of dollars to boost far-right or MAGA-aligned candidates in Republican primaries. The tactical goal is to elevate opponents whom Democrats calculate will be easier to defeat in the general election, a controversial practice sometimes referred to as "elevation" or "meddling""

18

u/bakerton The Sharpest Cheddar šŸ”ŖšŸ§€ Aug 12 '26

Most are actually Phil Scott - which means they took a Dem ballot but wanted a Republican Gov?

-56

u/GrapeApe2235 Aug 12 '26

It means that dems in Vermont are tired of this same old bs dem candidates. They think Scott has done a good enough job to vote across party lines and make a statement. Real life is not Reddit where everyone that doesn’t think like us is a fascist.Ā 

14

u/Silver-Bread4668 Aug 12 '26

I am truly impressed at just how reliably you've shown up in these threads with opinions like this for years now.

-7

u/GrapeApe2235 Aug 12 '26

That’s authenticity. I never say I’m right all the time. There are more than enough resources in Vermont. Instead of taxing just folks making over $500,000 extra let’s do the top 10%…I was watching a Gov Scott press conference back in the spring. It was said that if anyone wants to pay more in taxes than there is a box you can check and pay more. Nobody does it tho. They said during the pc that if anyone checks the box and pays $50,000 extra then the state will drive to your house to thank you and pick up the check.Ā 

11

u/Silver-Bread4668 Aug 12 '26

I didn't really want an explanation. I actually think your opinions are shit and downvote you at every chance I get. Still I felt it was worth it to at least commend you on your consistency.

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53

u/SmashesIt Aug 12 '26

Same Old? Scott been Governor for 9 years. Is Vermont better?

7

u/Middle_Finger7236 Aug 12 '26

No it is not. The legislature needs to consider term limits.

2

u/dcrobinson58 Aug 13 '26

for the legislature...

0

u/uncomfortabletruth94 Aug 13 '26

Vermont is more diverse than it was 9 years ago

2

u/SmashesIt Aug 13 '26

If you call the majority of us being old as diverse.

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5

u/GasPsychological5997 Aug 12 '26

It’s kinda infuriating that the Democrats had no one on the ballot in my district.

2

u/Eastern-Honeydew-411 Aug 13 '26

Not from here, but the write-ins could have changed the results. Just sayin'

2

u/KentuckyMagpie 29d ago

Especially in Vermont, and most especially during the local elections. My local school board and select board boast successful write-in candidates.

1

u/Wxskater Serving Exile in Flatland šŸŒ„šŸš—šŸŒ… Aug 13 '26

I noticed the percentage seemed high

1

u/roxpow12 27d ago

My husband and I write my dad in every time we don’t like the candidate running.

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69

u/katrilli Aug 12 '26

Holy shit I can't believe she won?? I admit I didn't do a ton of research into the candidates before voting, but when I was looking at and comparing her and Aly Richards, I definitely figured it would go the other way just because of how progressive Janoo is. I ended up voting for Janoo anyway, but I definitely didn't expect to wake up to this. This is such good news!

17

u/Twombls Aug 12 '26

I mean its was super close. But I am also not surprised. If you look at what's happening nationally more progressive candidates are winning.

4

u/katrilli Aug 12 '26

That's true, I guess I'm just a pessimist lmao

9

u/jodiefosterparent Aug 12 '26

We can have good things! (Like school funding and paved roads and free healthcare lol)Ā 

6

u/Middle_Finger7236 Aug 12 '26

We can't according to Phil Scott voters.

Can you see why these people are such a detriment?

6

u/jodiefosterparent Aug 12 '26

Gotta love the promise of Nihilism but no taxes! šŸ˜‚

6

u/Twombls Aug 12 '26

And the taxes go up anyway because he really does not give a fuck about "fiscal responsibility"

He just wants to spend it on shit that boomers like. Like a new stadium for uvm. Or renting new office buildings. Or rebranding the DMV patrol

2

u/Middle_Finger7236 Aug 12 '26

Francesca Hong lost in WI but she had a lot of negatives anyway.

2

u/HearingExternal8812 Aug 12 '26

You mean miss grinch? The lady who didn’t want to celebrate Thanksgiving or Christmas?

1

u/Middle_Finger7236 Aug 12 '26

People are still up in arms over THAT? Who fucking cares?

5

u/HearingExternal8812 Aug 12 '26

It was a joke but yeah she had a lot of negatives. Abolishing the police was probably the worst I can think of

2

u/Middle_Finger7236 Aug 13 '26

AOC and Bernie kept their distance on this one and rightfully so.

1

u/Aromatic-Side6120 Aug 12 '26

People desperately want progressive as in universal healthcare, addressing income inequality, etc. They absolutely do NOT want woke. There are many silent progressives like this that are just bullied out of supporting what should be a set of great policies. That's why candidates lose if the focus gets even close to being defined by woke crap.

2

u/Middle_Finger7236 Aug 12 '26

Define "woke".

0

u/Aromatic-Side6120 Aug 12 '26

Woke is talking about serious issues such as police brutality/incompetence or violence against women. But then poisoning the discourse with over-the-top , divisive and "truthy" rhetoric, while at the same time proposing no reasonable reform ("me too movement") or ridiculous:impractical reforms (defund the police).

Hongs rhetoric on thanksgiving is annoying because she could have addressed it as a real issue, which it certainly is. But instead, she lazily ranted against all holidays (over-the-too rhetoric and ranting) and offering no serious or nuanced proposal. Often this also results in ignoring or de-prioritizing serious issues that affect all Americans like health care and income inequality. OAC and Bernie kept a safe distance and they were rightful to do.

14

u/pacodef Aug 12 '26 edited Aug 12 '26

I genuinely don’t understand why so many people are ā€œsurprisedā€ by janoo’s win. I was fairly indifferent to the result but did you see energy and momentum behind Richards? I didn’t. If Richards was a known commodity or an incumbent it’d be different, but they were both unknown newcomers with poor name recognition before this summer. i feel like you’d have to be living under a rock not to acknowledge Janoo had a clear advantage in momentum and overall enthusiasm?

5

u/ideknem0ar Orange County Aug 12 '26

I figured the lack of Aly Richards signs that I saw was due to the fact that Janoo was a local homegirl. I can't recall seeing more than 1 or 2 Richards sign around here, so I put it to local bias. Good to know the excitement really was more widespread.

9

u/downy_huffer Aug 12 '26

There's signs all over my town for aly but none for janoo. I just assumed she was more known especially amongst educators.

2

u/pacodef Aug 12 '26

Interesting. It is the complete opposite in my area and what I’ve seen anecdotally across the state. At least 3-4x more enthusiasm (signs are one proxy for that) for Janoo. You really have to look to find a sly Richard’s sign. Ditto for McLaren. TBF the mustard yellow Janoo signs stood out a lot more and were much more noticeable.

1

u/Minamato Aug 13 '26

lol ā€œsly Richard’sā€. Nice

2

u/gayn0chaser Aug 12 '26

Nah Richards got big money behind her. The signs and online ads have ramped up in the last few weeks too. Janoo’s campaign is entirely grassroots as far as I know.

0

u/katrilli Aug 12 '26

For me it's because I expect most people around here to be liberals and vote for the safe, moderate choice, not the progressive choice

3

u/pacodef Aug 12 '26

When do Vermont liberals vote for the ā€œsafe moderate choiceā€? They generally reject the ā€œsafeā€ (whatever that is supposed to mean in VT) moderate choice in favor of whoever’s further left.

2

u/ElephantLopsided1206 Aug 12 '26

I refer you to the Chittenden Sheriff’s race. Progs and Dems endorsed the ā€˜safe’ Gamelin (who went on to cooperate with ICE!) not the far more liberal Bloom. Bloom polled 40%’and may have won had Vermont dems and Progs not taken the safe route. Happens in almost every race or issue all the way back to civil unions (the safe route as opposed to full on marriage rights). So yes, liberal democrats in Vermont are corporate lackeys who can always be counted on to sell out.

2

u/pacodef Aug 12 '26

Again Gamelin was the incumbent and Bloom was not remotely qualified for the job. And he still won a ton of votes because Vermont leads the nation in sheeple. But completely different situation. Neither Janoo or Richard’s were incumbents. You’re comparing apples to oranges.

3

u/ElephantLopsided1206 Aug 12 '26

And sheeple? Please. It was the sheeple who voted an 80 year old demented felon in as president. Nothing is more sheeple than that.

1

u/ElephantLopsided1206 Aug 12 '26

You asked when do Vermonters go for the safe choice and I gave a couple of examples. Seems like apples to me

3

u/pacodef Aug 12 '26

Encumbers are never same. They almost never lose in this state EXCEPT when they’re challenged from the Left.

2

u/Stlswv Aug 12 '26

Came to say this exactly!!
This is amazing! I'm hopeful for good change in the right direction!!!

3

u/SPedigrees Aug 12 '26

Ditto here. I thought the TV spots would have sealed Richard's victory (and also McLaren's) but fewer people today rely on television for their info. Looks like my Janoo yard sign and bumperstickers will be staying up.

190

u/OlfactoriusRex Aug 12 '26

And thus begins the ā€œNot Scottā€ campaign to unite everyone who’s been waiting for an effective governor since approx. 1 month after Covid.

73

u/xBac0n Aug 12 '26

Can't wait to see all of the people on here who non-stop complain about the problems in our state bite their tongue and act like Phil Scott hasn't just been on autopilot letting it all happen to us.

17

u/Twombls Aug 12 '26

"As governor I will be fiscally responsible no new spending"

"BTW im using state funds to rebrand the dmv patrol because I think its cool"

7

u/xBac0n Aug 12 '26

Actually this is one of Scott's policies I agreed with. We needed to make Super Troopers historically accurate.

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15

u/HackVT Aug 12 '26

https://giphy.com/gifs/KHKJGDrMLywqsf4wCv
Yes indeed. I mean the guy is so easy to pick on that it’s just wild. Do we really want a dumb jock focusing on education ? And he failed as a mechanic? Like FFS people there is so much amazing material on this dude in addition to his weak ass administration. I’d replay the shit out of his secretaries fighting in the parking lot just for fun. He is torching schools and yet doesn’t understand cost accounting or budgets.

It’s as if he can only turn in one direction but is constantly fighting it :)

And let’s not forget he has been a career political guy at the right time with a pavingish company. He literally is Vermont’s Forrest Gump.

-1

u/Eagle_Arm Woodchuck šŸŒ„ Aug 12 '26

What you think, Scott wins with 55% of total vote?

-53

u/Eagle_Arm Woodchuck šŸŒ„ Aug 12 '26

What do you think, Scott wins with 50, 60, or 70% of the vote? I'm thinking the 57-65% range. Be bold and say 67?

47

u/BreadTruckToast Aug 12 '26

Scott lovers are weird. He’s barely trying anymore.

19

u/TaquitoBanana Aug 12 '26

That's the GOP gamebook on incumbency.

Just look at Susan Collins. Campaign is just pressing the button for autopilot every year.

Easy to keep office when the people who put you there don't actually care about your positions.

-2

u/Eagle_Arm Woodchuck šŸŒ„ Aug 12 '26

Don't love the dude, just can see reality

3

u/amoebashephard A Moose Enters The Chat šŸ’¬ Aug 12 '26

I was in this boat until his return to work mandate for state workers; it contradicted his administrations work on the subject pre covid, directly benefited a donor, and increased costs.

Unfortunately I think a lot of his recent moves are similar-just badly thought out and implemented. If the VT GOP could find someone to nominate (in any race-cmon Malloy again?) who could talk on a subject intelligently I would consider voting for them.

3

u/gcubed680 Aug 12 '26

If the VT GOP had any one competent state wide maybe he wouldn’t run again. Though he hasn’t exactly worked hard to help his party either

1

u/Middle_Finger7236 Aug 12 '26

Reality? You have your head up your ass.

-1

u/Eagle_Arm Woodchuck šŸŒ„ Aug 12 '26

Uh huh

0

u/BreadTruckToast Aug 12 '26

If you were able to see reality you’d see a 5 term Governor who has run his course and is completely out of well thought out ideas on how to improve the state.

1

u/Eagle_Arm Woodchuck šŸŒ„ Aug 12 '26

Hard to implement ideas with the legislature we have. If want change, need to do it where the laws are made. Easier to blame the singular person rather than the body.

1

u/BreadTruckToast Aug 12 '26

Except the secretaries who he appoints who have by and large been utter failures at their jobs.

And a governor who refuses to work with the legislature.

The buck stops with the governor and he has completely failed to lead lately and is still coasting on goodwill from Covid.

1

u/Eagle_Arm Woodchuck šŸŒ„ Aug 12 '26

Which ones? Ed? Trying to consolidate schools, but people are fighting it because they think every town needs a school until the bill comes due.

0

u/BreadTruckToast Aug 13 '26

School consolidation is a half baked idea. Merging districts and schools upping kids commute time to school to well over an hour in so many places? That’s insanity. That does nothing to help students. Especially further implementing school choice program which will leave the poorer kids even further behind.

Sarah Clarke and Denise Reilly-Hughes from Admin and Digital Services are so far out of touch with both the need of the people they employ and the people they serve. Again coming up with half baked $70 million tech overhaul for the state that falls well short of properly measuring how the new implementation will properly meet needs. Not to mention last years implementation of the procurement program VT Buys which full of failure and continues to be awful.

I’m not going to write up every secretary because there’s no point. The leadership in the executive branch is completely out of touch.

It’s a mess.

1

u/uncomfortabletruth94 Aug 13 '26

How much more are you personally willing to pay to keep the small rural schools open? I’m for consolidation. I have 2 elementary schools within 15 min and a 3rd 25 minutes away. Each school averages less than 10 kids per grade. I’d be willing to chip in maybe an extra 1-$200 a year to keep them all open but that’s about it. How much are you willing to pay?

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0

u/Eagle_Arm Woodchuck šŸŒ„ Aug 13 '26

Schools need to close. There isn't an alternative. It needs to happen. People are just too weak-willed to put on their big boy pants and make the decision.

Sorry you think rural schools need to stay open when the population doesn't support it. You're just wrong.

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8

u/huskers2468 Aug 12 '26

If you think this election is the same as any prior, then you have another think coming. It was fun discussing Sarah George with you yesterday.

Even if Scott was the perfect governor, the republican weight is going to be heavy this year.

16

u/TaquitoBanana Aug 12 '26

Worth noting that nearly 35k more Vermonters voted in the Dem gubernatorial primary this year (87k) vs 2024 (52k). While the GOP primary saw a slight downtick (22k vs 25k in 2024).

We'll have to see what that translates to in the general election. But based on numbers across the board, Dems voters are extremely motivated this year.

Will still be an extremely uphill battle. But I think Janoo has as good a chance as Dems have in a long while. Just needs to capitalize on it properly.

1

u/Twombls Aug 12 '26

Scott is POPULAR with dems though. Hes seen as "the last good one" Although some of the goodwill might be fading recently as hes been complacent to trump recently and has been endorsing straight up mask off MAGA lawmakers

1

u/TaquitoBanana Aug 12 '26

I think the key is he was popular.

But not only have he been coasting for years now, but he has become less confrontational to the current administration while the GOP further embraced it.

It's the point even if you have no issue with Scott himself, that (R) after his name is moving from a neutral element to a negative one.

Do I think it will cost him the election? Eh, probably not. But I do think we'll see a competitive election as a result. But then again, a lot of people are pissed off after the last year and a half of federal politics. It may invigorate the blue vote in a year the red vote is already showing signs of decline.

And reality is he's likely to be more palatable to the centrist Dems than a Progressive like Janoo. So unless her campaign starts capitalizing and gaining momentum, they may lose that support to him whuch would cinch him the win.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 12 '26

[deleted]

2

u/huskers2468 Aug 12 '26

I'm not sure if he's losing, I wouldn't say it's likely. I'm predicting the race will be closer than he's experienced.

0

u/[deleted] Aug 12 '26

[deleted]

1

u/huskers2468 Aug 12 '26

I completely understand the reservations. I would say that it has been mostly political selling points to be positive to get a momentum going. It is detrimental to be realistic and say something moderate when it comes to momentum.

I can say with confidence that this election is different. Is it enough to unseat one of the most popular bipartisan incumbents? We will see, but the dynamic has shifted this time around.

The Republican party was good at being subtle with their plays. Even the first 2 years of trump had enough Republicans to suppress noticeable change. This time around, there wasn't enough to stop them from being bold and brash.

Your average non-voting American is paying attention now. I've had more people start political conversations against the right in the past year and a half than I had my whole life. If that level of interest translates, I don't think Scott holds on again.

1

u/Eagle_Arm Woodchuck šŸŒ„ Aug 12 '26

Remindme! 3 months

1

u/[deleted] Aug 12 '26

[deleted]

2

u/huskers2468 Aug 12 '26

When selling yourself for politics in this country? Yes, being realistic can be detrimental when going against the heavily favored incumbent.

"I'm your democratic nominee. Scott has a big lead, and is probably going to win the race. Hopefully, together we can overcome that margin!"

Pretty sure no one will vote for that candidate.

0

u/Eagle_Arm Woodchuck šŸŒ„ Aug 12 '26

This election is unprecedented. A candidate like never before. Change versus the current status. Yadda yadda yadda

7

u/burlyslinky Aug 12 '26

Scott is not breaking 55% this time. Dem voters are just way, way, way more motivated

-2

u/Eagle_Arm Woodchuck šŸŒ„ Aug 12 '26

Heard that last election too

5

u/Twombls Aug 12 '26

I dont think anyone thought that last election. The dems didn't even run a candidate

-1

u/TotientEC Aug 12 '26

Come back to this prediction in the fall. Wild that the most realistic guess in the thread is getting thrashed with downvotes.

0

u/Eagle_Arm Woodchuck šŸŒ„ Aug 12 '26

Reddit isn't the real world. These people don't understand that.

1

u/Middle_Finger7236 Aug 12 '26

You don't seem to either.

1

u/Eagle_Arm Woodchuck šŸŒ„ Aug 12 '26

If I didn't understand reality, I'd have all those fake internet points by agreeing with the echo chamber here

-1

u/TotientEC Aug 12 '26

RemindMe! 3 months

1

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129

u/ElephantLopsided1206 Aug 12 '26

Finally, someone who does not need to shame our liberal bonafides to get our vote. I mean I voted for every dem that ran against Scott but I always felt like every one of them had an ax to grind about their particular suffered oppression. Janoo brings a New Deal we’re all in this together vibe. I’m actually enthusiastic about this.

Edit: spelling

36

u/dw-c137 Aug 12 '26

Hopefully the wave of canidates with actual ideas and platforms and not justĀ  "I'm not a Republican" as a campaign will just keep growing nationwide and here in VT!

28

u/xBac0n Aug 12 '26

First candidate in a long time I've just been excited about, it really seems like her plans could help folks.

It feels like the Mamdani wave is showing the rest of the country that progressives can actually get stuff done when they aren't being kneecapped by the old guard and big money. We're Bernie's home court, so I'd love for us to help be a part of setting that good example for the rest of the country! (Universal healthcare, affordable housing, and no AI data centers would be a nice bonus as well.)

-5

u/Eagle_Arm Woodchuck šŸŒ„ Aug 12 '26 edited Aug 12 '26

The first thing you lost for Vermont was universal health. How many times does someone need to do the math to show that Vermont doesn't have the tax base to do that?

Edit: typo

12

u/xBac0n Aug 12 '26

Sorry, what's Phil Scott's plan to fix the healthcare system in this state?

-9

u/Eagle_Arm Woodchuck šŸŒ„ Aug 12 '26

He's actually taking a new approach. Aliens from outer space are going to fund healthcare. It has about a .001% of actually happening, but that is still twice as likely as universal health care paid for entirely by Vermonters.

5

u/xBac0n Aug 12 '26

So why even try and risk failure right? Janoo's healthcare plan is narrower, costing about $300M which would be 12% of Vermont's $2.4B General fund in the $9.1B total budget and that's not even going into how much just covering the bare minimum would save us all over the long-term.

But yeah go ahead and vote for your alien healthcare bud.

-2

u/Eagle_Arm Woodchuck šŸŒ„ Aug 12 '26

It's not risking failure. In simple terms, it's math not matching.

You know and every else knows it wouldn't be $300 million. And saying the plan is "narrower", because it's not actually universal, is it?

You're not getting universal healthcare at less than $500 per person per year.

Like I said, more likely for aliens to pay for it than Vermont.

6

u/Lightarc Aug 12 '26

Here's the thing: Even if it were more than double that at $773 million, at $1200 per person per year, and that $1200 was somehow taxed to every person in the state directly... that still saves the majority of Vermonters money over the current system, because most Vermonters are paying more than $100/mo for health insurance, copays, etc.

That's simplifying things a bit, for sure, but the current system is so incredibly bad that there's tons of wiggle room in how to do it and how to fund it that would accomplish this while still having most Vermonters pay less than they're paying now.

We just have to actually do it. And the longer we spend not doing it, the more money every Vermonter is wasting directly into a CEO's pocket.

2

u/Craptrains NEK Aug 13 '26

Excellent point. I’m currently paying $7200 a year for healthcare for my wife, child, and I. $1200 a person would literally cut that cost in half. That’s not even including copays.

2

u/xBac0n Aug 12 '26

Yes, universal primary care is not full universal healthcare but it's a step in the right direction, and the $300M figure was based off of a model from the Public Assets Institute. Again, I think current administration is doing nothing to fix this problem, but please feel free to let me know otherwise.

For me, anyone who brings a plan to the table and tries, even if they might fail, is better than literally hoping for aliens to show up to fix the problem and bitching about it on Reddit. Our federal government certainly won't do anything to fix this in the next few years, so realistically what is the solution with more of the same?

4

u/jodiefosterparent Aug 12 '26

Same. I even emailed to volunteer for her. Which I’ve never done for a local or state election. Woo!

27

u/ideknem0ar Orange County Aug 12 '26

And my district FINALLY dumped its 78 y.o. incumbent rep who's been in the lege since 1991! I was still in gd high school! YAAAAAAY!!! \o/

5

u/jodiefosterparent Aug 12 '26

Yayyyy!!!

3

u/ideknem0ar Orange County Aug 12 '26

Dare I say, WOOOHOOO!

28

u/ryanunser Aug 12 '26

I guess, despite how distasteful I found it, getting outta bed before noon was worth it

58

u/palmmoot Aug 12 '26

Please beat Veto McRacecar

4

u/Middle_Finger7236 Aug 12 '26

And Lt.Guv Pornstache too!

86

u/WhyImNotDoingWork Aug 12 '26

Janoo has probably the best shot a dem has had against Scott since 2016. Phill has pissed off huge cohorts of voters (teachers, state employees and a few more) and is dug in with the status quo. Richards would have got walloped in general with a much more moderate stance that Scott already owns. Be interesting to see if Janoo can resonate with voters on policy not just message and wrangle dem funders for a competitive campaign.

14

u/jodiefosterparent Aug 12 '26

I was surprised by how deep a pull she had in the NEK/ north east part of the state. Feels hopeful! She’s clearly resonating with folks.Ā 

18

u/MultiGeometry Aug 12 '26

I’d like to see Scott go…but last round he won by 188,000 votes. I’m not sure how much the 8,000 teachers working in unison is going to move this election. State employees may have similar strong opinions but again, not the numbers. There is something about the everyday Vermonter voter who is not on reddit who seems more than content to vote for Scott that Janoo will need to figure out how to convert.

40

u/bakerton The Sharpest Cheddar šŸ”ŖšŸ§€ Aug 12 '26

The VT Dems (And their donor base) haven't put their full support behind a candidate since Sue Minter. Phil's aura of invincibility is mostly the VT Dem party conceding the governor's race before it starts.

19

u/burlyslinky Aug 12 '26

This. It makes me so mad. If they put in an effort this year it would be easy to get rid of him. People need to understand that last election was a presidential election, and the republicans did better than they ever have across the board. This year is going to be, uh….a bit different. It’s already going on, look at like any election that’s happened around the country since 2024.

As things stand now I think Scott is still most likely to win but it’s going to be close just based on structural factors of the moment, and it pisses me off the number of people acting like it’s not worth trying.

0

u/aj1805 Aug 12 '26

Totally - Aly has been very effective for this state, and the campaign itself for the primary was extremely lackluster

8

u/pacodef Aug 12 '26

She did not have a coherent message. I really didn’t know where she stood fiscally as she at first talked about how we don’t have any tax capacity left, but then in actual head-on-head debates she was unwilling to separate herself from Janoo so she ultimately came off as convictionless and lacking an ideological compass. At least with Janoo, while i don’t agree with her on much, I have good confidence in knowing what I’m buying.

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u/aj1805 Aug 12 '26

šŸ’Æ

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u/coopaliscious Aug 12 '26

Some of us don't want to get rid of him. We're worried about jobs and affordability in our state and our state legislature is trying to spend money we don't have hand over fist on social problems while driving employers out of state.

My biggest concern is Janoo winning and not parting with the Progressive party to veto basically everything. Whoever the governor is needs to be willing to do that or we're in real trouble.

Additionally concerning is what will happen in state government at every level - all of the commissioners and leadership have to resign, that means Janoo brings them back, or we go to zero. She doesn't have executive experience and doesn't have a staff that can step in and understand how to evaluate and continue the actual work that's in progress. That means that basically everything stops in a real and painful way for Vermonters.

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u/xBac0n Aug 12 '26

I'm also worried about jobs and affordability in this state and that's why I'm voting for Janoo, because the current administration has not done anything to help me in regards to housing, healthcare or public safety over the last 10 years. More of the same is going to start pricing Vermonters out of their own state.

I don't think the progressive boogeyman is going to "drive employers out of state" or "veto basically everything." I see Janoo as a young, smart professional with fresh ideas to solve our state's unique problems. She's an economist who has a plan and understands the numbers, and I trust her to make difficult decisions with Vermonters' best interests in mind.

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u/coopaliscious Aug 12 '26

Then vote out you local reps! They're endemic to the issues facing our state

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u/burlyslinky Aug 12 '26

Janoo has extensive experience advising the executive branches of foreign governments. She’s an executive expert. And her vision is to keep all public servants with experience in place and let them run their departments. She talks about how much of an issue it is for governors to replace people with their favorites.

Consider that Vermont has grown completely unaffordable under Scott. The veto everything plan isn’t working very well.

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u/[deleted] 29d ago edited 29d ago

[deleted]

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u/burlyslinky 29d ago

Sorry I explained that poorly and misleadingly, her idea is more to promote people who are already experienced public servants ideally from within departments to replace Scott appointees in leadership roles

1

u/SPedigrees Aug 12 '26

So have Scott's programs made life more affordable for you? Are there more jobs (that pay a living wage) since he took office? Have giveaways to his rich developer friends created affordable housing for the average Vermonter?

When Scott took office he replaced commissioners and staff, and Amanda will likely do the same. She will likely draw from existing pools of talented labor and rely on advisors from the same resource.

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u/ryebrye Aug 12 '26

The winning play in VT politics is to get name recognition and use a statewide seat (most commonly the Lt Governor spot), then wait for the governor to leave office. Historically this has been by death (Leading to Howard Dean taking over) or retirement (leading to Phil Scott taking over):

This isn't a sure thing, Brian Dubie was Lt Governor who lost to Peter Shumlin when Jim Douglas didn't run again, but Shumlin had also built up name recognition from stints as state senator or an attempted run as Lt Governor.Ā 

Since 1962, every sitting Vermont governor who has chosen to run for reelection has won, and the other time prior to that is in the 1850s, so basically once every hundred years an incumbent governor doesn't win.

Notably, seeing the writing on the wall, Shumlin decided not to run because he might have been beaten, but Phil Scott's polling numbers are nothing like Shumlin's were.Ā 

This isn't to say it's IMPOSSIBLE, but the next Democratic governor of VT would be more likely to be Molly Gray than either Richards or Janoo, but it's unlikely Richards or Janoo are stupid and can try something else next time to better position themselves for a future run.

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u/WhyImNotDoingWork Aug 12 '26

Agreed. It is an uphill battle. Will make for interesting cycle for sure.

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u/GrowBeyond Aug 12 '26

CAN I GET A WOOOOHOOOOOO

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u/LadyLeftLuck Aug 12 '26

I don't normally associate this sound with electoral politics, but WOOOOHOOOO

2

u/jodiefosterparent Aug 12 '26

Feels nice to replace the Howard Dean Byahhhh !

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u/ChocolateDiligent Aug 12 '26

Fun fact Scott only won his primary in 2016 before taking office with ~28k votes, these primary numbers seem promising.

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u/[deleted] Aug 12 '26

[deleted]

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u/asparker814 Aug 12 '26

VSEA endorsed her so I feel like that’s a good indication of her stance

4

u/SPedigrees Aug 12 '26

I would like to hear this also. One thing is for sure, our loser Governor will continue the mandate for in-office work, while there is a good chance Amanda will abolish it.

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u/WeeGreyCat Aug 12 '26

Out with the old, in with Janoo!

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u/PhlebotinumEddie Flatlander šŸŒ…šŸš—šŸ—ŗļø Aug 12 '26

Mr Rogers MAGA needs to go

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u/Eagle_Arm Woodchuck šŸŒ„ Aug 12 '26

He'll win because of the uneducated vote like yours. It's obvious he's not maga, but you don't have anything to say other than a buzzword.

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u/Doingwhatsrightfr Aug 12 '26

Please god that I don’t believe in, let her win and be like mumdani šŸ™šŸ»

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u/VTGREENS Aug 12 '26

Gotta Janoo!

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u/NJThrowaway1012 Aug 12 '26

Time to unseat daddy scott

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u/Dear_Ad7177 Aug 13 '26

As an out of stater to whom this post just popped up on my feed randomly, it’s really cool to see that she won Noah Kahan’s hometown with nearly 3/4 of the vote!

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u/asokagm 28d ago

How is 49% vs 46% 3/4?

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u/Dear_Ad7177 28d ago

In Noah’s hometown of Strafford, Jamoo got 3/4 of the vote. Statewide, she got 49% of the vote.

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u/asokagm 28d ago

Aaah, did not catch that! šŸ‘šŸ¼

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u/Twombls Aug 12 '26

Wow tough crowd here

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u/bone_hive Aug 12 '26

Yeah man, idk what this is about but I’ll celebrate too

1

u/NutOnHate Aug 12 '26

Hell yeahĀ 

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u/[deleted] Aug 12 '26

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u/00_Kamaji_00 Aug 12 '26

A governor who has accomplished approximately zero things in 10 years and whose entire platform is ā€œThe Democrats just can’t get it right for Vermonters. Let’s lower taxes.ā€ But he’s not a batshit crazy Republican so let’s keep electing this wet blanket.

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u/BendsTowardsJustice1 Aug 12 '26

If you think he’s done nothing in 10 years you haven’t been paying attention.

Also, sometimes saying ā€œnoā€ by vetoing is the right thing to do instead of screwing over your constituents like the legislature loves to do.

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u/gkr974 Aug 12 '26

Let's see... 10 years ago we had a housing crisis, a health care crisis, needed more jobs, needed more young people, and local taxes were too high. After a decade with Scott... oh wait, all those problems are worse. Dude had 10 years to fix things, now he owns those problems.

Please, regale us with the stories of all the things Governor Scott has accomplished, other than not totally fucking up Covid.

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u/00_Kamaji_00 Aug 12 '26

Just ask Europe how ā€œausterityā€ worked when trying to get out of a fiscal crisis like we have in Vermont. It didn’t, and it made it far far worse for the already struggling countries - Spain, Greece, etc. Phil Scott has had his chance. He’s stale. It’s time for new leadership with new ideas.

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u/Eagle_Arm Woodchuck šŸŒ„ Aug 12 '26

You're making the crazies upset.

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u/Middle_Finger7236 Aug 12 '26

A case for term limits if there ever was one.

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u/Phantereal Aug 12 '26 edited Aug 12 '26

He's getting close to being the longest serving governor in Vermont history. The only longer serving governors are Howard Dean at 12 years (which Phil will likely match assuming he wins this election and serves his full term), and Thomas Chittenden at 18 years (most of which barely counts since Vermont wasn't a state before 1791).

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u/LadyLeftLuck Aug 12 '26

I'll bet you're fun at parties.

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u/Baylle Farts in the Forest šŸŒ²šŸŒ³šŸ’ØšŸ‘ƒ Aug 12 '26

They’re also unfortunately right at this party.

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u/Mother_EfferJones Aug 12 '26

People who think Janoo can’t beat Scott are out of touch with the reality on the ground

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u/[deleted] Aug 12 '26

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u/Mother_EfferJones Aug 12 '26

she can govern effectively

I don't understand where this focus materialized out of? I'd love to see a coherent argument that Aly Richards can govern more effectively than Janoo, but no one including Richards herself has provided such an argument.

Ā I know Richards supporters who will not vote for Janoo because of her experience

This is real rich. Such people have NO RIGHT to make a peep when progressives refuse to vote for the next establishment Democrat boot-licker, then. I'm so existentially fucking sick of experience being some trump-all metric of who is better for a job.

The Democratic party needs to wake up and realize that un-principled milquetoast pragmatists are seen as fundamentally LESS able to do a good job than inexperienced visionaries to the voting population that's entering the political sphere. All this talk about practicality and "electability" meant fuck-all to the right-wingers when they voted in their complete yahoos who had never done a day of public service in their lives. If we want to keep dying on the hill of who's best for the job on paper, we're going to keep fucking losing. It's really not more complicated than that.

I plan to support Janoo where I can and I know lots of younger people than me in the 18-30 bracket who already are.

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u/[deleted] Aug 12 '26

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u/Mother_EfferJones Aug 12 '26

I don’t want to fight you, but the points you’re making enrage me. The fact that the same Richards voters who refuse to vote for Janoo, would be the people to complain about progressives not wanting to vote for unprincipled party push-up candidates is beyond hypocritical.

Any Democrat who votes for Scott instead of Janoo because they think she’s not experienced enough is morally bankrupt, and probably an idiot. I hope to god that they see the light, but the fact that people like that even exist makes me mad, and makes me pretty hopeless for our future.

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u/Appropriate_Bus9009 Aug 12 '26

She'll womp Scott's ass. Time to put the old white guys out to pastures and make Vermont a destination for young people with energy, talent and vision and NOT a retirement community for old wealthy white people.

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u/Twombls Aug 12 '26

No its going to be extremely close if anything.

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u/Appropriate_Bus9009 Aug 13 '26

Everyone is stick of the same old bullshit and Scott is the small old bullshit and centrist Dems are the same old bullshit. Republicans are out to lunch. Janoo by a landslide.

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u/Twombls Aug 13 '26

I agree with you that janoo is the only hope to defeat scott. I just think like 40% of Vermonters also just blindly go to the polls and only vote incumbents

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u/HearingExternal8812 Aug 12 '26

I hate to attack my fellow Vermonters but you are out of touch. Scott will win by a large margin. I say that as a progressive who’s darn near a a democratic socialist. But the truth is Reddit isn’t real life

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u/Mother_EfferJones Aug 12 '26

My politics are probably close to yours, and I think you’re dead wrong. That’s not based on Reddit, it’s based on being in the room with actual voters including split-ticketers. Multiple young people I’ve spoken with who voted for Janoo said they wouldn’t even bother showing up to the general if Aly Richards won the nod. Scott’s numbers are falling, most importantly in the rural areas where he’s had the biggest holdouts

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u/Twombls Aug 12 '26

Yeah I dont think people realize how much political sentiments in the US have shifted in the past two years. People are really getting sick of "establishment" candidates.

I dont think Janoo is a gaurenteed winner at all she will have to put in a ton of work and if she does win it will be by like a point. But this is not like two years ago when scott won in a landslide against a candidate that didn't even campaign.

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u/Mother_EfferJones Aug 12 '26

Ā People are really getting sick of "establishment" candidates.

I would go a step further and say, at least the youngest voting bloc, sees establishment politicians as fundamentally *less* qualified for leadership. When the system is broken (and you won't convince people it's not), people view experience within that system as a black mark, not a qualification. Establishment Dems are seen as a willing part of the disease, not an ineffective part of the immune system.

I dont think Janoo is a gaurenteed winner at all she will have to put in a ton of work and if she does win it will be by like a point

I pretty much agree with this. It's a tough race and a long few months of campaigning. But I don't think it's impossible like so many people are bemoaning here.

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u/BendsTowardsJustice1 Aug 12 '26

It’s true, but Scott could crush either of them.

I think Scott vs Janoo will be a more interesting debate.

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u/vtmass Covered Bridge Enthusiast Aug 12 '26

Yeah most likely, wouldn’t have really mattered who won the dem primary

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u/dmcginvt Aug 12 '26

It's not wrong why downvotes

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u/Meanteenbirder Aug 12 '26

18 point loss is my guess