Mollie Burke

For the Canadian YouTube personality and motivational speaker, see Molly Burke.

Mollie S. Burke is an American politician who serves in the Vermont House of Representatives from the Windham-2-2 district as a member of the Vermont Progressive Party. Prior to her tenure in the state house she was active in local politics in Brattleboro, Vermont.

Mollie Burke
Member of the Vermont House of Representatives
Incumbent
Assumed office 2009
Preceded by	Daryl Pillsbury (Windham-2-2)
Constituency	Windham-2-2 (2009-2011) Windham-3-2 (2011-present)
Personal details
Political party	Vermont Progressive
Other political affiliations	Democratic
Spouse	Peter Gould
Children	3
Education	Marymount Manhattan College (BA) Goddard College (MFA)

Early life and education

Mollie S. Burke was raised in Buffalo, New York. She graduated from Marymount Manhattan College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and graduated from Goddard College with a Master of Fine Arts degree. She moved to Vermont in 1970. She married Peter Gould, with whom she had three children.^[1]

Career

Local politics

Burke was elected as one of thirteen town meeting representatives from the 3rd district in Brattleboro, Vermont, in 1990. She has served as a town meeting representative since 1990.^[1][2][3]

Vermont House of Representatives

Elections

Representative Daryl Pillsbury, an independent, did not seek reelection to the Vermont House of Representatives from the Windham-3-2 district in the 2008 election. Burke ran with the Vermont Progressive and Democratic nominations and won in the general election without opposition. Her election made her the second member of the Progressive Party to represent Brattleboro after Representative Sarah Edwards.^[4][5][6]

She was reelected in the 2010 elections without opposition.^[7] She was redistricted into the Windham-2-2 district and won reelection without opposition in the 2012, 2014, 2018, and 2020 elections.^{[8][9][10][11]} She defeated independent candidate Adam Salviani in the 2016 election.^[12]

Tenure

Burke supported Peter Shumlin during the 2010 gubernatorial election and called upon members of the Vermont Progressive Party to support Shumlin.^[13] During the 2010 election she endorsed Doug Hoffer for Auditor.^[14] During the 2016 Democratic presidential primaries she supported Bernie Sanders for the Democratic presidential nomination.^[15]

During her tenure in the state house she served on the Transportation committee.^[16] In 2017, a recount was conducted in the Orange-1 district and Burke was one of the members of the twenty-three member committee that oversaw the recount.^[17]

Political positions

The state house voted 95 to 52, with Burke in favor, in favor of legislation which would allow for same-sex marriage in Vermont and the state house later voted 100 to 49, with Burke in favor, of overturning Governor Jim Douglas' veto of the legislation.^[18][19]

Electoral history

2008 Vermont House of Representatives Windham-3-2 district election^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Progressive	Mollie Burke
	Democratic	Mollie Burke
	Total	Mollie Burke	1,683	99.18%
	Independent	Write-ins	14	0.82%
Total votes			1,697	100.00%

2010 Vermont House of Representatives Windham-3-2 district Democratic primary^[20]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Mollie Burke (incumbent)	539	99.26%
	Democratic	Write-ins	4	0.74%
Total votes			543	100.00%
		Blank	67

2010 Vermont House of Representatives Windham-3-2 district election^[7]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Progressive	Mollie Burke (incumbent)
	Democratic	Mollie Burke (incumbent)
	Total	Mollie Burke (incumbent)	1,112	99.11%	−0.07%
	Independent	Write-ins	10	0.89%	+0.07%
Total votes			1,122	100.00%
		Blank	206

2012 Vermont House of Representatives Windham-2-2 district Democratic primary^[21]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Mollie Burke (incumbent)	314	99.05%
	Democratic	Write-ins	3	0.95%
Total votes			317	100.00%
		Blank	43

2012 Vermont House of Representatives Windham-2-2 district election^[8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Progressive	Mollie Burke (incumbent)
	Democratic	Mollie Burke (incumbent)
	Total	Mollie Burke (incumbent)	1,561	99.30%
	Independent	Write-ins	11	0.70%
Total votes			1,572	100.00%
		Blank	262

2014 Vermont House of Representatives Windham-2-2 district Democratic primary^[22]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Mollie Burke (incumbent)	295	99.66%	+0.61%
	Democratic	Write-ins	1	0.34%	−0.61%
Total votes			296	100.00%
		Blank	47

2014 Vermont House of Representatives Windham-2-2 district election^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Progressive	Mollie Burke (incumbent)
	Democratic	Mollie Burke (incumbent)
	Total	Mollie Burke (incumbent)	798	99.50%	+0.20%
	Independent	Write-ins	4	0.50%	−0.20%
Total votes			802	100.00%
		Blank	125

2016 Vermont House of Representatives Windham-2-2 district Democratic primary^[23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Mollie Burke (incumbent)	473	100.00%	+0.34%
Total votes			473	100.00%
		Blank	96

2016 Vermont House of Representatives Windham-2-2 district election^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Progressive	Mollie Burke (incumbent)
	Democratic	Mollie Burke (incumbent)
	Total	Mollie Burke (incumbent)	1,445	81.55%	−17.95%
	Independent	Adam Salviani	321	18.12%	+18.12%
	Independent	Write-ins	6	0.34%	−0.16%
Total votes			1,772	100.00%
		Blank	111
		Spoiled	2

2018 Vermont House of Representatives Windham-2-2 district Democratic primary^[24]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Mollie Burke (incumbent)	568	98.95%	−1.05%
	Democratic	Write-ins	6	1.05%	+1.05%
Total votes			574	100.00%
		Blank	52

2018 Vermont House of Representatives Windham-2-2 district election^[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Progressive	Mollie Burke (incumbent)
	Democratic	Mollie Burke (incumbent)
	Total	Mollie Burke (incumbent)	1,491	99.60%	+18.05%
	Independent	Write-ins	6	0.40%	+0.06%
Total votes			1,497	100.00%
		Blank	158

2020 Vermont House of Representatives Windham-2-2 district Democratic primary^[25]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Mollie Burke (incumbent)	811	99.88%	+0.93%
	Democratic	Write-ins	1	0.12%	−0.93%
Total votes			812	100.00%
		Blank	47

2020 Vermont House of Representatives Windham-2-2 district election^[11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Progressive	Mollie Burke (incumbent)
	Democratic	Mollie Burke (incumbent)
	Total	Mollie Burke (incumbent)	1,934	98.77%	−0.83%
	Independent	Write-ins	24	1.23%	+0.83%
Total votes			1,958	100.00%
		Blank	281
		Spoiled	3

Mollie Burke electoral history

References

1. "Representative Mollie S. Burke". Vermont General Assembly. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021.
2. "Town Meeting Members". Brattleboro Reformer. February 3, 1990. p. 13. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Gould novel wins award". Brattleboro Reformer. February 10, 2009. p. 7. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Pollina adds independent after name". Brattleboro Reformer. July 22, 2008. p. 1. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Onion City Madness". Seven Days. May 28, 2008. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021.
6. "2008 State Representative General Election". Secretary of State of Vermont. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021.
7. "2010 State Representative General Election". Secretary of State of Vermont. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021.
8. "2012 State Representative General Election". Secretary of State of Vermont. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021.
9. "2014 State Representative General Election". Secretary of State of Vermont. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021.
10. "2018 State Representative General Election". Secretary of State of Vermont. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021.
11. "2020 State Representative General Election". Secretary of State of Vermont. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021.
12. "2016 State Representative General Election". Secretary of State of Vermont. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021.
13. "Prog activists call on party members to support Shumlin". Vermont Digger. August 19, 2010. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021.
14. "Doug Hoffer for State Auditor". The Burlington Free Press. August 22, 2010. p. 21. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
15. "Vermont's elected Progressives endorse Sanders for president". Vermont Digger. June 12, 2015. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021.
16. "Lawmakers". Brattleboro Reformer. January 8, 2009. p. 6. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
17. "New recount in disputed House election to start Wednesday". Vermont Digger. February 21, 2017. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021.
18. "Same-sex marriage roll call". The Burlington Free Press. April 3, 2009. p. 5. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
19. "House votes on veto override". The Burlington Free Press. April 8, 2009. p. 5. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
20. "2010 State Representative Democratic Primary". Secretary of State of Vermont. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021.
21. "2012 State Representative Democratic Primary". Secretary of State of Vermont. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021.
22. "2014 State Representative Democratic Primary". Secretary of State of Vermont. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021.
23. "2016 State Representative Democratic Primary". Secretary of State of Vermont. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021.
24. "2018 State Representative Democratic Primary". Secretary of State of Vermont. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021.
25. "2020 State Representative Democratic Primary". Secretary of State of Vermont. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021.