Amanda Janoo, 38, is an economist and community advocate who was raised in Strafford and now lives in Burlington. She is making her first run for statewide office after a career in international economic development, including work with the United Nations. Janoo holds degrees from Macalester College and the University of Cambridge (development economics) and was a Fulbright Researcher. She is cofounder of the Wellbeing Economy Alliance of Vermont and has served on boards of the ACLU of Vermont and Rights & Democracy. She is the first Democrat to formally enter the 2026 gubernatorial race, announced March 10, 2026.
Janoo was born and raised in rural Vermont, where she attended town meetings as a child, shaping her belief in community-centered democracy. She graduated from Newton Elementary, Hanover High School, and Macalester College (Minnesota), then earned a Fulbright grant and studied development economics at the University of Cambridge. She worked with governments, international institutions, and the United Nations in various countries focusing on economic development and resilience. In 2018, inspired by the first Trump administration and Graham Nash lyrics about belonging, she returned to Vermont and cofounded the Wellbeing Economy Alliance of Vermont. She served as justice of the peace in Burlington and on boards of ACLU Vermont and Rights & Democracy. She now rents in Burlington but maintains strong connections to her Strafford hometown.