Bernie Sanders' Stepchildren Are Leaders, Too

Anyone who has been following Sen. Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign knows that he does not like talking about his personal life. While I commend Sanders' unwavering focus on the issues, by not giving any information on his family, he misses the opportunity to show off how cool they really are. His wife, Jane O'Meara Sanders? A former community organizer and university president. His biological son, Levi Sanders? A successful Social Security legal analyst. Jane O'Meara had three children when she married Sanders, so who are Bernie Sanders' stepchildren?

Sanders told The New York Times Magazine that "the media will very often spend more time worrying about hair than the fact that we're the only major country on earth that doesn't guarantee health care to all people." So there. But there are a few people in his family that you haven't heard much about even though they have fascinating lives. Sanders and his wife say they have four children, though Levi is often the one who gets the most media attention.

Jane O'Meara's children from her first marriage are Heather Titus, Carina Driscoll, and Dave Driscoll. Though they've never called Sanders "Dad," the senator considers them his own. The stepchildren called Sanders "Bernie" throughout the eight years he dated their mother, and once the two married, the name stuck.

Heather Titus and her husband, Marc, are the ultimate yogis. Heather is the producer of the Sedona Yoga Festival (SYF) in Sedona, Arizona. In 2014, SYF offered training to yoga teachers who wanted to work with war veterans struggling to return to civilian life — a group of people Bernie Sanders is very passionate about helping. SYF is a "consciousness evolution conference" that seeks to provide "the keys to unlocking your greatest transformation with a focus on yoga and the expansion of consciousness." If Heather is anything like her mother, she has brains, and it looks like she's in tune with the body as well.

While there isn't much information out there about Dave, we know from his LinkedIn that he is the "Global Director of Team" at Burton Snowboards, a snowboard manufacturer headquartered in Burlington, Vermont, aka his family's stomping ground. Dave occasionally updates his Twitter with support for his stepdad's presidential campaign. After Seth MacFarlane endorsed Sanders, Dave tweeted:

Carina Driscoll has a passion for woodworking, and founded the Vermont Woodworking School at Burlington College. Carina was honored by Vermont Works for Women for "Labor of Love" after her nominators found her to be an "ambitious, bright, and a positive leader" for founding the woodworking school. Her love of woodworking came from her biological father, who taught her some of the skills she would later use in order to feel connected to him. Carina has an 11-year-old son named Cole who often gets bothered by negative press about Sanders, his grandfather. Jane O'Meara Sanders told People:

Cole will complain, "They said he's a grumpy grandpa. He is not! He's a fun grandpa."

Well, there you have it, folks. Grandpa Bernie is fun and loved, and he's supported by a pretty awesome, successful family.