JFK grandson Jack Schlossberg runs for open House seat in New York

Mary Ellen McIntire, CQ-Roll Call on Nov 12, 2025

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WASHINGTON — Jack Schlossberg, a Democratic social media personality who is the grandson of President John F. Kennedy, is running for Congress.

Schlossberg, 32, entered the race for New York’s open 12th District, joining a crowded primary to succeed retiring Rep. Jerrold Nadler. The Democratic primary, which will be the deciding contest next year in a deep-blue district that supported Kamala Harris by more than 60 points last year, is set for June.

“We can do better, and it starts with the Democratic Party winning back control of the House of Representatives,” Schlossberg said in a video posted to social media announcing his run.

“I’m not running because I have all the answers to our problems. I’m running because the people of New York 12 do,” he added.

Schlossberg, whose mother, Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg, has served as U.S. ambassador to Japan and Australia, is the latest scion of the storied Democratic family to enter politics. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., his first cousin once removed, ran for president last year before suspending his campaign to endorse Donald Trump. He joined the Trump administration this year as Health and Human Services secretary, and Schlossberg has publicly criticized him in recent months.

Most recently on Capitol Hill, Schlossberg’s cousin Joseph P. Kennedy III served four terms in the House before unsuccessfully challenging Massachusetts Sen. Edward J. Markey in a 2020 Democratic primary.

A graduate of Yale with master’s and law degrees from Harvard, Schlossberg spoke at the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. In addition to being a prolific presence on social media, he also wrote articles for Vogue last year as a political correspondent.

Schlossberg’s announcement comes a week after Democrat Zohran Mamdani triumphed in the New York City mayor’s race, and Schlossberg told The New York Times in an interview published Tuesday that he saw Mamdani’s win as a positive sign for his campaign. Schlossberg endorsed the state assemblyman’s insurgent bid for the Democratic mayoral nomination in June.

A busy Democratic primary is already shaping up in the 12th District, which includes Midtown Manhattan and the Upper West and East sides. State Assemblymen Micah Lasher, a former aide to Nadler, and Alex Bores have both already launched campaigns for the seat. Bores announced an endorsement Wednesday from former New York Rep. Steve Israel.

Journalist and lawyer Jami Floyd and former financial executive Alan Pardee are also seeking the Democratic nod, joining nonprofit founder Liam Elkin, who announced his campaign before Nadler made his retirement plans public.

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