Carina Driscoll

Carina Nicole Driscoll (born 1974) is an American politician who served in the Vermont House of Representatives from Chittenden County from 2001 to 2003, as a member of the Vermont Progressive Party.

Her mother, Jane Sanders, married Burlington Mayor Bernie Sanders in 1988.

She became active in politics during her step-father's campaigns, with her serving as Sanders' campaign, fund-raising, office, and database manager.

Her mother married Bernie Sanders, who was serving as Mayor of Burlington, Vermont, in 1988.

She graduated from Burlington School District, where she was an honors student, in 1992.

She graduated from the University of Vermont.

She entered electoral politics with her election to the Burlington school board in 2000.

She was then elected to the state house, where she served one term, before winning election to a seat on the Burlington city council.

She worked as Sanders' campaign manager during the 2000 United States House of Representatives election.

She later worked as his fundraiser, office, and database manager.

She earned $65,002 while working for her step-father from 2000 to 2004.

Representative Terry Bouricius did not run for reelection to the Vermont House of Representatives from the Chittenden-7-4 district in the 2000 election.

Driscoll won the nomination of the Vermont Progressive Party to run in the Chittenden-7-4 district.

She defeated Grassroots nominee Matthew Hogg in the general election.

Mary Lou Gross, a member of the Burlington School Board from the 4th district, did not seek reelection in the 2000 election.

Driscoll won in the election to succeed her without opposition.

The Chittenden-7-4 district was eliminated after redistricting in 2002, and Driscoll was redistricted into a two-member district where both of the representatives were also members of the Vermont Progressive Party.

During her tenure in the state house she served on the Fish, Wildlife and Water Resources committee.

Driscoll married Blake Anders Ewoldsen, with whom she had two children, on April 19, 2003.

Driscoll ran for a seat on the Burlington city council from the 3rd district in the 2003 election to succeed Doug Dunbebin, who was a member of the Progressive Party.

During the campaign she was endorsed by Auditor Elizabeth M. Ready, who was a member of the Democratic Party, instead of Democratic nominee Gail Compton and by Mayor Peter Clavelle.

She defeated Compton and Republican nominee Kevin Ryan.

She resigned from the city council in May 2004, so that she could focus on the birth on her first child.

Progressive nominee Tim Ashe won in the special election to succeed her.

Driscoll participated in the Democratic caucus and supported Hinda Miller for mayor during the 2006 election, but stated that she did so because the Progressives seemed to not have a candidate.

In 2007, she established the Vermont Woodworking School.

She partially served one term before resigning to focus on her first child, but unsuccessfully attempted to win election to the city council in 2011.

During the 2011 election Driscoll ran for the Democratic nomination for a seat on the city council from the 5th district, but was defeated by John Shannon.

During the 2012 mayoral election she supported Bram Kranichfeld and later served as an adviser to Miro Weinberger as a part of his budget team.

She also served as one of two assistants to Weinberger while he served as mayor.

She volunteered for her step-father's presidential campaign during the 2016 presidential election.

Driscoll, announced that she was considering running a campaign for mayor of Burlington in 2017.

She announced that she would run as an independent candidate in the 2018 mayoral election on December 4, 2017.

At the Vermont Progressive Party's caucus Driscoll won the party's endorsement with 116 votes against Infinite Culcleasure's 84 votes after Representative Selene Colburn nominated her for the party's endorsement.

Driscoll declined to seek the endorsement of the Democratic and Republican parties.

Elise Greaves served as Driscoll's campaign manager.

She also served on the city council in Burlington, Vermont, and unsuccessfully sought the city's mayoralty in the 2018 election.

Driscoll was educated in the Burlington School District and the University of Vermont.

She ran against Miro Weinberger in the 2018 mayoral election, after having supported him and worked for him, but lost.

Carina Nicole Driscoll was born to Jane Sanders and David Martin Driscoll.