Carina Driscoll facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Carina Driscoll
Carina Driscoll at the 2017 Burlington Progressive Party Caucus
Member of the Burlington, Vermont city council from the 3rd district
In office April 7, 2003 – May 2004
Preceded by	Doug Dunbebin
Succeeded by	Tim Ashe
Member of the Vermont House of Representatives from the Chittenden-7-4 district
In office 2001–2003
Preceded by	Terry Bouricius
Succeeded by	District eliminated
Personal details
Born	Carina Nicole Driscoll
Political party	Vermont Progressive
Other political affiliations	Democratic
Spouse	Blake Anders Ewoldsen
Children	2
Parent	Jane Sanders (mother)
Relatives	Bernie Sanders (step-father)
Education	University of Vermont

Carina Nicole Driscoll (born in 1974) is an American politician. She served in the Vermont House of Representatives from 2001 to 2003. She was a member of the Vermont Progressive Party. Carina Driscoll also served on the city council in Burlington, Vermont. Later, she ran for mayor of Burlington in 2018 but did not win.

Driscoll went to school in the Burlington School District. She also studied at the University of Vermont. Her mother, Jane Sanders, married Burlington Mayor Bernie Sanders in 1988. Carina became involved in politics by helping with her step-father's campaigns. She managed his campaigns, helped with fundraising, and organized his office.

She started her own political career by being elected to the Burlington school board in 2000. After that, she was elected to the state house. She served one term there. Then, she won a seat on the Burlington city council. She resigned from the city council to focus on her first child. In 2011, she tried to get back on the city council but was not successful. She later ran for mayor against Miro Weinberger in 2018.

Early Life and Family Connections

Carina Nicole Driscoll was born to Jane Sanders and David Martin Driscoll. She finished high school in the Burlington School District in 1992. She was an honors student. Later, she graduated from the University of Vermont. Carina Driscoll married Blake Anders Ewoldsen on April 19, 2003. They have two children together. In 2007, she started the Vermont Woodworking School.

Her mother married Bernie Sanders in 1988. At that time, Bernie Sanders was the Mayor of Burlington, Vermont. Carina worked on Bernie Sanders' campaigns. For example, she was his campaign manager for the 2000 election for the U.S. House of Representatives. She also helped him with fundraising and managing his office. She volunteered for his presidential campaign in 2016.

Political Career Highlights

Carina Driscoll has served in different political roles. She started in local government and then moved to the state level.

Serving in the Vermont House

In 2000, Representative Terry Bouricius decided not to run again for the Vermont House of Representatives. This was for the Chittenden-7-4 district. Carina Driscoll won the nomination from the Vermont Progressive Party for this seat. She won the general election against Matthew Hogg.

After 2002, the Chittenden-7-4 district was changed. Carina Driscoll was then part of a new district. During her time in the state house, she worked on the Fish, Wildlife and Water Resources committee. This committee deals with topics like fishing, wildlife, and water.

Local Government Roles

Before joining the state house, Carina Driscoll served on the Burlington School Board. In 2000, she ran for a seat on the school board from the 4th district. She won this election without anyone running against her.

In 2003, Driscoll ran for a seat on the Burlington city council. This was for the 3rd district. She was endorsed by important people like Auditor Elizabeth M. Ready and Mayor Peter Clavelle. She won the election against Gail Compton and Kevin Ryan. She resigned from the city council in May 2004. She wanted to focus on the birth of her first child. Tim Ashe later won the special election to take her place.

In 2011, Driscoll ran for the Democratic nomination for a city council seat again. This time it was for the 5th district. However, she was defeated by John Shannon. She also supported Miro Weinberger in the 2012 mayoral election. She later worked as an adviser for him.

Running for Mayor of Burlington

In 2017, Carina Driscoll announced she was thinking about running for mayor of Burlington. On December 4, 2017, she officially announced she would run as an independent candidate. This was for the 2018 Burlington mayoral election. At the Vermont Progressive Party's meeting, she won their support.

During her campaign, Driscoll tried to get other candidates to join her. She believed that working together would help them win. She said there was a lot of common ground between their goals. However, Infinite Culcleasure, another candidate, refused to drop out of the election.

In the general election, Miro Weinberger won. He received 48.38% of the votes. Carina Driscoll came in second with 34.96% of the votes. Infinite Culcleasure received 16.07%. During the campaign, Weinberger raised over $107,000, while Driscoll raised over $47,000.

Political Views

Carina Driscoll has expressed her views on different topics. For example, she voted against a bill that would have changed laws about partnerships in Vermont. She also voted against a resolution about protecting the United States' flag. She believed that changing the Constitution to prevent flag burning would weaken the First Amendment. The First Amendment protects important freedoms like freedom of speech.

Images for kids

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  Carina Driscoll at the 2017 Burlington Progressive Party Caucus