Kennedy grandson Jack Schlossberg loses NYC congressional primary

Jack Schlossberg, the 33-year-old grandson of President John F. Kennedy, lost the Democratic primary in New York’s heavily Democratic 12th district, falling behind state Assemblymembers Micah Lasher and Alex Bores. The race, which featured fierce competition o

For Jack Schlossberg, the Kennedy name wasn’t enough.

In New York’s heavily Democratic 12th Congressional District. the 33-year-old lawyer—famous as much for his social media presence as for his family lineage—lost the Democratic primary. with state Assemblymember Micah Lasher finishing first as ballots came in. With about 86% of ballots counted in the race. preliminary results showed Lasher leading a crowded field with more than 39% of the vote. Assemblymember Alex Bores followed with 35%, and Schlossberg trailed in a distant third with less than 11%.

The Democratic nominee is widely expected to win in November and succeed retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-New York, a longtime liberal lawmaker representing the affluent district in the core of Manhattan.

Schlossberg entered the contest with a campaign designed to stand out. He promised not to take any corporate or super PAC money and leaned heavily into his own profile online. where his odd antics had already drawn attention. He had asked whether second lady Usha Vance was hotter than his grandmother, first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. He also posted a video of himself riding a RipStik while reciting Lord Byron’s lyric poem. “She walks in beauty.”.

But the public-facing strategy collided with doubts that built as the campaign progressed. Critics pointed to a thin resume for elected office. Schlossberg has degrees from Yale and Harvard. and he spoke at the 2024 Democratic National Convention—but he had no experience in elected office. His work history included just a few months at the State Department during the time his mother. Caroline Kennedy. served as an ambassador. He also held temporary jobs at an e-commerce company and a distillery.

That gap mattered in a political world where, for younger voters and those disillusioned with the party, a famous last name can no longer automatically translate into political power.

In earlier decades, Kennedy pedigree had often provided a shortcut. After John F. Kennedy won the presidency in 1960, his brother Ted Kennedy moved quickly into his old U.S. Senate seat from Massachusetts. Two years later, Robert F. Kennedy won a U.S. Senate seat in neighboring New York. More recent generations continued the pattern. winning roles from lieutenant governor of Maryland to congressional seats in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Schlossberg tried to replicate the familiar storyline by centering his campaign on his family’s legacy of public service. and he had drawn early momentum. One survey commissioned by a Democratic opponent had shown him leading by nine points in late February and early March. He also gained attention by sparring publicly with his uncle, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., calling Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s failed 2024 presidential campaign an “embarrassment.”.

Still, a Kennedy-friendly district wasn’t the only advantage on the ballot.

The politics of the Upper West Side have long included older, highly engaged liberal voters, and name familiarity can help. Basil Smikle. a New York City-based political consultant and professor at Columbia University. said voters often gravitate toward names they recognize and want someone ready to be a fighter in Washington.

Yet Schlossberg faced opponents with their own brands of credibility and networks—plus the kind of institutional support that can reshape how quickly a campaign becomes “the one to beat.” Lasher and Bores had already led in polls before Schlossberg pulled even less convincingly behind them.

Lasher, who represents the Upper West Side, had built a long list of endorsements from prominent New York Democrats. Alongside Nadler, the incumbent, he was backed by Gov. Kathy Hochul and former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg.

Bores, on the Upper East Side, drew support from Our Revolution, the progressive organization founded by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont. More importantly for voters paying attention to Washington’s agenda. Bores—a computer science graduate—made a name for himself as an advocate for AI regulation. Millions of dollars reportedly poured into the district both for and against his position on that issue. As the campaign advanced, the AI debate appeared to shift the race, boosting Bores into leading in some polls.

Schlossberg, by contrast, had high-profile backing that reflected his place in the Kennedy orbit. He was endorsed by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the 86-year-old Democratic icon who met Schlossberg’s grandfather. Other prominent figures supported Schlossberg’s campaign as well. including “Saturday Night Live” executive producer Lorne Michaels. musician Paul Simon. and former Secretary of State Antony Blinken. according to election filings.

As the contest sharpened, Schlossberg also drew heavy scrutiny from The New York Times, including reports of high turnover inside his campaign and allegations of erratic behavior.

Even with high visibility, the race did not become a referendum on any single celebrity endorsement or family narrative—it became a competition between campaigns with different strengths and different answers to what voters were focused on.

One factor that stood out for many Manhattan observers was that Mayor Zohran Mamdani—who votes from the mayor’s mansion on Manhattan’s Upper East Side—did not endorse any candidate in the 12th district. Instead. Mamdani directed his attention to the June 23 primary. focusing on supporting challenges to mainstream Democrats from candidates on the left in younger. less wealthy. more progressive districts.

Schlossberg’s loss closes one chapter of the Kennedy political era in Manhattan’s 12th. In its place is a clearer path for the winner of the primary battle—Lasher—toward November, with Nadler’s seat now the next prize.

Jack Schlossberg JFK grandson Micah Lasher Alex Bores Jerry Nadler New York 12th district Democratic primary AI regulation Nancy Pelosi Robert F. Kennedy Jr. campaign endorsements