Democratic candidates for governor, Amanda Janoo (left) and Aly Richards (right), speak during a housing forum in South Burlington on Wednesday, July 15, 2026. Photos by Glenn Russell A political action committee backing Aly Richards in this year’s Democratic primary for Vermont governor has i njected more than $200,000 into the race just weeks before election day. The PAC, called Time for a Change, is not affiliated with Richards’ campaign. But the organization spent large sums in recent days on digital advertisements and text messages urging people to vote for her, according to newly-filed financial disclosures and screenshots of the mass media push reviewed by VTDigger. The outside spending has become a flashpoint in the race. Richards’ opponent, Amanda Janoo, fired off a press release Friday suggesting that it made Richards look hypocritical because Richards said in a Vermont Public debate last month that she is “happy to not accept PAC money.” Time for a Change is registered with the Vermont Secretary of State’s Office as an “independent expenditure-only” PAC. Under state law, these organizations, often called  “super PACs,” can raise an unlimited amount of money in support of a candidate but cannot coordinate with that candidate or contribute directly to their campaign. Richards said as much in a statement posted to her social media on Friday, writing, “this group isn’t something I asked for, had knowledge of, or can control.”  She described her campaign as “a grassroots movement of Vermonters who are committed to a brighter future for our state,” and that is “focused on continuing to build that movement and talking to as many Vermonters as possible.” Angela Arsenault, a spokesperson for Richards’ campaign, referred VTDigger to that statement Monday in response to a request for an interview. Janoo, in her press release, described the super PAC rules as a loophole in campaign finance law that she thinks is emblematic of “the sad state of politics.” She criticized how the PAC’s fundraising, which totaled $230,025 as of an Aug. 1 filing, came from just five large contributors. Only one of those donors was listed with an in-state address. “It’s so clear to me how this system is designed by rich people,” Janoo said in an interview, speaking about campaign finance, adding that the system provides “a huge benefit for those who have connections.” The PAC’s treasurer, John Hollar, said in an interview that Richards did not ask him or anyone else involved in the organization to raise or spend money on her behalf. He said the organization was created last month by “friends and supporters” of Richards. Hollar is a former Montpelier mayor and former lobbyist with the firm Downs Rachlin Martin. He also served on the board of the Let’s Grow Kids Action Network, the sister organization of the pro-childcare lobbying group, Let’s Grow Kids, that Richards helmed for a decade before running for governor.  Both entities provided the driving force behind a 2023 law creating a new payroll tax to bolster state subsidies for families in need of childcare.  “We’ve had no communication with Aly or her campaign about anything,” Hollar said. Still, the funding likely gives Richards a boost ahead of the Aug. 11 primary. The money the PAC has raised, $230,025, amounts to just over half of what Richards’ campaign has raised so far, according to the latest financial reports. As of Aug. 1, Richards’ campaign has raised $439,145; Janoo’s has raised $303,407, filings show. The influx of advertising could help improve Richards’ name recognition in a race in which a majority of likely primary voters said they did not know enough about either her or Janoo to say which candidate they would vote for, recent polling found. The Aug. 1 filing by Time for a Change lists two individuals and three organizations as its contributors, all of which donated between July 22 and 27. Carl Ferenbach, co-founder of the Boston private equity firm Berkshire Partners and a co-founder of Let’s Grow Kids, donated $25,000. Tom MacLeay, former CEO of the Montpelier-based insurance company National Life Group, donated $5,000.  MacLeay served on the board of Let’s Grow Kids and is the sole contributor with a Vermont address listed in the pro-Richards PAC’s filing.  The largest single contribution, $100,000, came from a Missouri-based organization called Family Security and Prosperity. An organization with the same name, though with a Washington, D.C., address, is registered with the Federal Election Commission as a “hybrid PAC,” a type of political committee that operates similarly to a super PAC. Impact Fellows Action Fund, a Kansas-based nonprofit organization that provided financial backing to Let’s Grow Kids, contributed $75,000 to the pro-Richards PAC. And another $25,000 came from a federally-registered hybrid PAC called “Government That Works PAC,” which was “established to defeat ineffective and extreme incumbent candidates,” according to its online donation page. The PAC has raised about $15 million over the 2026 election cycle so far, according to its filings with the FEC. This year’s Democratic gubernatorial primary winner will face Republican Gov. Phil Scott in November.  Hollar said he was not aware of any specific reasons why all of those people and organizations were contributing to Time for a Change other than the fact that “Aly is very well known in the world of childcare advocacy for the work that she’s done.” The PAC’s media purchases are dated July 30 and 31. They include $141,500 of “online advertising,” according to filings, and $60,000 of “text messaging.” Another $8,500, for media “consulting,” is dated July 29. Hollar said the fact the ad buys are late in the race was a result of when organizations contacted him and others with the intention of supporting Richards. Hollar added that he rejected the notion that it was a coordinated effort to sway the election late in the game. Asked about Janoo’s assertion that the PAC spending was out of step with Richards’ comments at the Vermont Public debate, he reiterated that the organization was following campaign finance law. “It’s simply an opportunity for these donors to provide the support that the law allows,” he said. “These are the rules that we have.” Disclosure: Time for a Change is an advertiser with VTDigger. Read the story on VTDigger here: Pro-Aly Richards super PAC launches big ad buy late in Democratic governor primary. ...read more read less