Jan Backus

{{short description|American politician}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}

{{Infobox officeholder

|name = Jan Backus

|image = 160px

|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1947|7|30}}

|birth_place = Norristown, Pennsylvania, U.S.

|death_date =

|death_place =

|party = Democratic

|education = University of Vermont (BA)

}}

Jan Backus (born July 30, 1947) is a retired American politician who served as a Vermont state senator representing Windham County from 1989 to 1994 and Chittenden County from 1997 to 2000. A community activist, Backus served as a member of the Vermont Southeast Supervisory Union board for many years before making a run for the Vermont state Senate and winning a seat. She served as chairwoman of the Senate Health & Welfare Committee and a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

A moderate-to-liberal Democrat, Backus ran for the U.S. Senate in 1994 and beat Douglas M. Costle, Environmental Protection Agency administrator under President Jimmy Carter, for her party's nomination and came within 9 points of ousting incumbent U.S. Senator Jim Jeffords (R-VT).

{{cite news

|title=THE 1994 ELECTIONS: THE SENATE; Who Won Where

|date=1994-11-09

|newspaper=The New York Times

|url=https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F40E16F83A5A0C7A8CDDA80994DC494D81

}} In 2000, she ran again and lost the Democratic U.S. Senate primary to Ed Flanagan, then Vermont's Auditor of Accounts.

{{cite news

|newspaper=The New York Times

|title=Law Permitting Civil Unions for Gays Proves a Factor in Primaries

|date=2000-09-14

|url=https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F30E17F8395C0C778DDDA00894D8404482

}} In 2004 Backus ran for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor.[http://www.vermontwoman.com/articles/0904/backus-rivers.shtml interview with Backus during run for Lieutenant Governor] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080725100805/http://www.vermontwoman.com/articles/0904/backus-rivers.shtml |date=2008-07-25 }}

Backus lives in Winooski, Vermont, with her husband Steve Blodgett (a former state senator). She currently serves as a member of Winooski's Downtown Revitalization Project to eliminate sprawl and attract jobs. She has three daughters, one of whom served as a high-ranking member of John Kerry's presidential campaign in 2004.

Backus competes annually in the National Crossword Championship. Her highest finish was 46th.