Caroline Gleich

{{Short description|American skier, mountaineer, and activist (born 1985)}}

{{Infobox politician

| name = Caroline Gleich

| image = Caroline Gleich talks to sailors aboard George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) (cropped).jpg

| caption = Gleich in 2022

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1985|12|31}}

| birth_place = Rochester, Minnesota, U.S.

| death_date =

| death_place =

| party = Democratic

| education = University of Utah (BS)

| spouse = {{marriage|Robert J. Lea|August 10, 2019}}

}}

Caroline Louise Gleich (born December 31, 1985) is an American environmentalist, skier, and mountaineer.{{cite web |last=Beal-Cvetko |first=Bridger |date=March 27, 2024 |title=Caroline Gleich wants to change what people think a senator should 'look' like |url=https://www.ksl.com/article/50962809/caroline-gleich-wants-to-change-what-people-think-a-senator-should-look-like |website=KSL.com}} An advocate for environmental justice and climate reform, she was the Democratic Party's nominee in the 2024 United States Senate election race in Utah but lost to Republican Representative John Curtis in the general election by over 30 percentage points.{{Cite web |last=Lewis |first=Scott |date=April 27, 2024 |title=Utah Democrats nominate Caroline Gleich for Senate, Katrina Fallick-Wang for House |url=https://www.abc4.com/news/politics/utah-democrats-nominate-caroline-gleich-for-senate-katrina-fallick-wang-for-house/ |website=ABC4 Utah}}

Early life and education

Gleich was born in Rochester, Minnesota, on the last day of 1985.{{Cite web |last=Barker |first=Sarah |date=December 22, 2016 |title=From Minnesota hockey kid to western mountaineer |url=https://www.startribune.com/from-minnesota-hockey-kid-to-western-mountaineer/407772726/ |access-date=2024-05-18 |website=Star Tribune}}{{cite web |date=May 13, 2015 |title=Caroline Gleich |url=https://warrenmiller.com/athletes/caroline-gleich |website=Warren Miller}} She and her family moved to Salt Lake City at the age of 15, where she developed an interest in skiing. Both of her parents are physicians at the University of Utah. Gleich decided to become an activist during her senior year in college after enrolling in a course on American national government. She graduated cum laude with a bachelor's degree in anthropology in 2010.

Career

Gleich advocates for environmental justice and climate reform.{{Cite web|last=Pace|first=Barbara|date=2019-10-29|title=U Grad Caroline Gleich: Mount Everest Conqueror, Social Activist|url=https://dailyutahchronicle.com/2019/10/29/caroline-gleich/|access-date=2020-07-04|website=The Daily Utah Chronicle}}{{Cite web|date=2020-06-23|title=Protect Our Winters Advocates for Racial Justice in Climate Fight|url=https://www.powder.com/stories/protect-our-winters-racial-justice-climate-fight/|access-date=2020-07-04|website=POWDER Magazine|language=en-US}} Some of her work was cited by Protect Our Winters. She is a supporter of the [https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/5435 American Public Lands and Waters Climate Solution Act of 2019], and testified in front of Congress in support of the bill.{{Cite web |last=Lozancich |first=Katie |date=June 17, 2020 |title=Podcast: Caroline Gleich Explores Environmental Justice Activism |url=https://www.tetongravity.com/story/culture/podcast-caroline-gleich-explores-environmental-justice-activism |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200617222610/https://www.tetongravity.com/story/Culture/podcast-caroline-gleich-explores-environmental-justice-activism |archive-date=2020-06-17 |website=Teton Gravity Research}}

On January 8, 2024, Gleich announced her candidacy for the 2024 United States Senate election in Utah.{{Cite web |last=Anderson Stern |first=Emily |date=January 8, 2024 |title=World-renowned ski mountaineer, environmental activist running for Utah's open Senate seat |url=https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2024/01/08/world-renowned-environmental/ |website=The Salt Lake Tribune |language=en-US}} She has filed a request seeking an exemption from some campaign finance rules surrounding sponsored social media posts that she alleges make it difficult for content creators to run for office when they have sponsors. This is because current Federal Election Commission rules prevent sponsored posts in Utah within 90 days of the election unless they are listed in campaign finance reports.

Personal life

Gleich and her husband, Robert J. Lea, live in Park City, Utah. They were married at the Snowbird Resort on August 10, 2019.{{Cite news |last=Mallozzi |first=Vincent |date=Aug 10, 2019 |title=They’d Climb the Highest Mountain, but Not Necessarily for Each Other |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/10/fashion/weddings/theyd-climb-the-highest-mountain-but-not-necessarily-for-each-other.html |work=The New York Times}}{{cite web |url=https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/biography/214231/caroline-gleich|title=Caroline Gleich's Biography|publisher=Vote Smart|access-date=October 1, 2024}}

In addition to her activism, Gleich is a professional skier and mountaineer.{{Cite news |last=Lorenz |first=Taylor |author-link=Taylor Lorenz |date=2024-07-10 |title=Influencer running for U.S. Senate challenges campaign finance rules |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/07/10/caroline-gleich-utah-influencer-fec/ |url-access=subscription |access-date=2024-07-20 |work=The Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}} In 2017, she became the first woman and fourth skier to ski all 90 lines of the Chuting Gallery, a series of skiing slopes in the Wasatch Mountains.{{Cite web|date=2017-04-18|title=Caroline Gleich completes McLean's Wasatch Chuting Gallery|url=https://backcountrymagazine.com/stories/caroline-gleich-completes-mcleans-wasatch-chuting-gallery/|access-date=2020-07-04|website=Backcountry Magazine|language=en-US}} She summited Mount Everest with her husband in 2019, in an effort to promote gender equality in sports.