Former President John F. Kennedy’s grandson, Jack Schlossberg, has announced he is running to succeed longtime Congressman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., in representing New York’s 12th congressional district.
“I’m running for Congress because the best part of the greatest city on earth needs to be heard loud and clear in Washington and deserves a representative who won’t back down,” the Kennedy scion’s campaign website reads.
“In Ancient Greece there was a phrase: ‘e tàn e epì tâs,‘ or ‘either come with your shield, or leave on it,’” the website continues, explaining Schlossberg will stand strong in Congress.
Schlossberg, 32, is the son of Caroline Kennedy, who served as the U.S. Ambassador to Australia during the Biden administration and the U.S. Ambassador to Japan during the Obama administration, and Edwin Schlossberg. He grew up in New York City attending the exclusive Collegiate School in the Upper West Side before heading to Yale and earning degrees from Harvard Law School and Harvard Business School.
Schlossberg is a first cousin once removed of Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., of whom he has not been shy about criticizing.
“I have no idea why anyone thinks he should be president,” Schlossberg said of his cousin’s 2024 bid, eventually campaigning for both then-President Joe Biden and then-Vice President Kamala Harris as they unsuccessfully sought to take on Donald Trump last year.
When the elder Kennedy ended up endorsing Trump, Schlossberg wrote on X, “Never been less surprised in my life. Been saying it for over a year—RFK Jr. is for sale, works for Trump. Bedfellows and loving it. Kamala Harris is for the people—the easiest decision of all time just got easier.”
Despite his illustrious political connections, Schlossberg may face stiff competition from New York assemblyman Micah Lasher, a former aide to Nadler and former director of state legislative affairs for then-New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg. Lasher has been called Nadler’s “heir apparent” by Politico.
“[Lasher] has been the advisor, consigliere, trusted confidant of so many government officials throughout his relatively young life,” Democrat State Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal explained to the digital newspaper.
Another prominent primary opponent would be Liam Elkind, a nonprofit founder and former Rhodes Scholar, who has emphasized his youth (he is in his twenties) in a party known for its aging members. He had announced his primary challenge to Nadler before the 78-year-old congressman declared he would be retiring.
Nadler has served in Congress since 1992 and was chairman of the House Judiciary Committee from 2019 to 2023. His retirement was perhaps foreshadowed when he announced he would no longer seek to be the ranking member of the committee after Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said he would run against him for the top Democrat spot.
In total, Ballotpedia has documented an astounding eight candidates who have filed for the Democrat primary election to succeed Nadler. The district is deep blue, encompassing much of Manhattan, meaning the primary will likely decide the victor in the general election.
The Daily Signal has reached out to the campaigns of Elkind, Lasher, Schlossberg, and the office of Nadler for comment.
