Amanda Janoo, a political outsider whose progressive platform captured the imagination of primary voters, is Vermont’s Democratic nominee for governor.
Janoo, a 38-year-old economist who previously worked internationally for the United Nations, entered the race in March with virtually no name recognition. Her pledge to deliver “free healthcare” by taxing high earners, and to restructure Vermont’s political and economic systems, mobilized a groundswell that propelled her to victory over Aly Richards, her lone competitor in Tuesday’s primary.
At her election night party at a mixed-used art space in Burlington, Janoo told an ebullient crowd that “as an economist, I know that money is power, but as a Vermonter, I know that money is not the only kind of power.”
“Knowledge is power, trust is power, democracy is power, and community is power. And you should never underestimate the power of a group of Vermonters who decide to do something together,” she said.
