Bernie's step daughter is running for his old seat

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When Carina Driscoll announced she was running for mayor of Burlington – the local Vermont office her stepfather Bernie Sanders once held – she was determined to be her own candidate.

But the Sanders family ties have loomed large in the race, for better or worse.

On one hand, her campaign hopes to capitalize on the popularity of the state’s independent senator, with one ad calling her “Bernie's daughter.” But another family connection could prove more problematic.

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With the election coming up next month, Driscoll’s candidacy has been hit with controversy over payments her business once received from the college her mother used to run.

Jane O’Meara Sanders was president of Burlington College from 2004 through 2011 – and from 2009 through 2012, the college paid about $500,000 to Driscoll’s Vermont Woodworking School.

“It speaks to the way she does business,” Carol A. Moore, Jane Sanders’ successor as Burlington College president, told Fox News, when asked if the deal reflects on the Driscoll mayoral race.

She accused Driscoll of gouging the college with a sweetheart deal awarded by her mother.

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The college itself also has been in the headlines for months.

A federal grand jury has heard testimony regarding a $10 million loan to the school in 2010, and allegations the college overestimated its ability to pay the money back.

Jane Sanders left with a $200,000 severance. The college closed in 2016 unable to pay its debt.

Reached by phone, Driscoll campaign spokeswoman Elise Greaves told Fox News she would call back, but did not. Greaves didn’t respond to subsequent detailed voicemails about the topic of this story.

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