Last night, Vermont Public hosted the first gubernatorial debate between the incumbent Republican Phil Scott and Democratic candidates Amanda Janoo.
Phil Scott is seeking his 6th two-year term. Amanda Janoo is new to politics, having never run for or held elected office. She is the economics and policy lead for the Wellbeing Economy Alliance.
The exchanges throughout Wednesday's debate were conversational and cordial as they sat at a table to discuss issues.
Healthcare, education funding, homelessness and property taxes were all underscored by affordability as the top concern. When the candidates were given an opportunity to question each other, Scott asked Janoo about her economic policies.
Scott: “You said we need to stop growing and actually decline in a lot of areas. I’m trying to understand what you mean by that because when I hear that I think you’re talking about a recession. I don’t know if I quite understand.”
Janoo: “Yeah. I come from more of a wellbeing economy perspective than necessarily a degrowth one. But the idea is any discussion of growth should make clear growth of what and why. And I do think we need to grow certain areas of our economy. We want to make sure we’re protecting the things that we love and producing the things that we need.”
A viewer question from a Miami, Florida, resident who is considering moving north led to a discussion on affordability in Vermont. Janoo said the root causes of the state’s economic crisis must be addressed.
Janoo: “We need more government strategic intervention to actually reduce the fundamental cost of core necessities and our economy.”
Scott: “Affordability is the issue. Demographics in our state are working against us. That’s our nemesis. When I hear Amanda talking about the root causes, that’s exactly what we’re saying with education. You can’t just say you’re going to lower property taxes without fixing the system itself.”
Janoo advocated for a move to universal healthcare, but Scott reminded her that the state unsuccessfully attempted to implement such a system.
Janoo: “We have to move towards a universal health care system.”
Scott: “Peter Shumlin when he became governor, he ran on this issue. He spent 5 years trying to make it work. To his credit, he came out and said we can’t afford it, we can’t do it on our own. If we’re going to do something like this it has to be done nationally. But in the meantime, let’s take advantage of the Affordable Care Act tools.”
Janoo: “Universal health care won’t die and I think it’s just because we are at a moment where we can see that our health care system is collapsing. I also can’t see how we can immediately move to a full universal system. But what we can start with is a universal primary and preventative care program.”
Janoo asked Scott about an influx of out-of-state campaign money paying for negative ads.
Janoo: “I know that you’ve talked about how you don’t appreciate this kind of negative campaigning. And so I want to see if you would join me in really like condemning this type of outside spending.”
Scott: “There’s just not really much we can do about it. Campaign finance laws you can’t coordinate with them in any way. We’ve run into this in the past. I would rather they just stay out of it. You know, it’s unfortunate, but condemning it isn’t going to stop it from happening.”
During closing statements, both candidates pointed to the need to come together to solve Vermont’s problems.
Scott: “With two more years as governor and a little support from the legislature, I know we can get Vermont back on track. The work will be hard and Washington will make it even more difficult. I’m going to roll up my sleeves and we will grow Vermont’s economy and we will make it more affordable for everyone.”
Janoo: “The crisis we’re facing are overwhelming. In this moment when we are facing authoritarianism and climate change, and a cost of living crisis and AI, I want to make sure that we have the kind of leadership that recognizes we can’t solve our problems with the same thinking that created them.”
The candidates agreed on some issues including the need for more housing, term limits and ending Daylight Savings Time.
The Vermont Secretary of State’s candidate listing shows three minor party candidates also running for governor: the Peace and Justice Party’s June Goodband; Independent Brian Judd; and Dean Roy of the Freedom and Unity Party. They did not appear in the Vermont Public debate.
