By Sam Douglass
With just 22 days remaining before the 2026 general election, candidates in Vermont’s statewide races have generated a flurry of political spending in advertisements, with $242,148 in reported television and online media purchases over the past seven days. Close to Election Day, political advertising can have a sizable impact on swing and undecided voters. With this year’s hotly contested races for Vermont’s executive branch, this could be the last push for candidates to sway voters to their side.
Republican Governor Phil Scott, seeking a sixth term, reported four major media purchases over the past week totaling $115,260. Three purchases totaling $80,650 were for online advertising through a Massachusetts-based company, including two purchases of $30,000 each and another for $20,650. The fourth was a $34,610 purchase for television advertising. According to public filings, following his burst of media buys, Scott still has nearly $300,000 in reserve.
Democratic/Progressive challenger Amanda Janoo reported no media purchases during the same seven day period.
To date, Scott has raised $414,475.24 and spent $375,090.58 on his 2026 campaign, while Janoo has raised $714,466.71 and spent $426,002.92. Despite fundraising totals, Scott remains ahead in multiple rounds of recent polling. Nevertheless, the race has drawn attention as both fundraising and polling suggest that this race may be the closest the Governor has faced in years.
Throughout her campaign, Janoo has emphasized her refusal to accept corporate contributions; however, her list of donors includes a wide range of nonprofits and individuals commonly associated with Democratic policies. Her notable donors include the Vermont National Education Association, the Vermont Public Interest Research Group, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, the co-founders of Ben & Jerry’s, and David Blittersdorf, president and CEO of All Earth Renewables, a renewable energy company.
Scott doesn’t share his opponent’s opinion on corporate donors and his 2026 contributors include businesses and corporations across several industries. These include Meta (the parent company behind FaceBook and Instagram), Anheuser-Busch, AT&T, T-Mobile, Google, Kalshi (the online prediction-market platform), and Altria, a multi-national tobacco company.
Scott’s current fundraising and spending totals are far below the amounts reported for his first gubernatorial campaign in 2016, when he raised approximately $1.59 million and spent approximately $1.629 million, according to records filed with the Secretary of State. His current campaign has nevertheless been more visible on the ground in recent months, with the governor making personal appearances around Vermont. While Janoo may have outraised her opponent so far this election cycle, Scott’s decades in the public eye may be difficult to overcome.
The lieutenant governor’s race has also seen substantial advertising purchases. Democrat Molly Gray, who held the office for one term before running for Congress in 2022, reported a $57,051 purchase for television advertisements through a Maryland-based company over the past seven days. Gray is seeking to reclaim the position from incumbent Republican Lt. Governor John Rodgers, whose campaign reported a $69,837 television advertising purchase through a Virginia-based company during the same period.
Rodgers has raised $293,318.58 for his 2026 campaign, already exceeding the $217,968 he raised during his 2024 campaign.