Jerry Nadler’s – Even without his name on the ballot, Jerry Nadler is still campaigning—his endorsement of Assembly member Micah Lasher is emerging as a quiet but potent force in the Democratic primary race to replace him in New York’s 12th Congressional District.
On a mild late spring evening last week. there was a ceremony in Manhattan that felt like both remembrance and momentum. Members of the Trust for Public Land and veterans of a liberation struggle that transformed New York City and the world gathered to mark the 10th anniversary of the Stonewall National Monument—the first national park site dedicated to LGBTQIA+ history.
In the middle of the celebration stood Jerry Nadler. The 79-year-old New Yorker did more than attend. He had authored the Stonewall National Historic Site Establishment Act. and in the courtyard of Greenwich Village’s monument he let his message land plainly: he urged people to “recommit to the fight for equality. fairness. and dignity for all.”.
Nadler’s presence is familiar in Manhattan politics—so familiar that it can look effortless. He has spent decades pairing cause and action. He is retiring after 50 years as a member of the New York State Assembly and the U.S. House, stepping down as the representative for New York’s 12th Congressional District.
Among his colleagues, his reputation is almost a shorthand. Former speaker Nancy Pelosi once described him as “the conscience of the House.” She pointed to his work as a relentless champion of civil rights. civil liberties. and the rule of law—and. as chair of the House Judiciary Committee. to the fact that he twice oversaw impeachments of Donald Trump. Nadler also serves as the senior Democrat on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. where his advocacy has included pushing for projects such as the Second Avenue Subway extension into East Harlem.
At home, voters still seem to value that persistence. In recent polling of NY-12 voters, Nadler maintains a 67 percent approval rating. Even as Democrats around the country complain about party leadership that feels increasingly old. The New York Times has said that “few incumbents remain more popular at home than Mr. Nadler,” calling him “a fixture of Manhattan politics” who served as “a leading foil to Mr. Trump during his two impeachments.”.
Now that popularity is about to be tested—because this week’s political fight is not about defending a seat that he already holds. It’s about whether the goodwill of a retiring incumbent can still move votes after he leaves.
Tuesday’s Democratic primary in Manhattan’s overwhelmingly Democratic 12th district is drawing heavy outside spending. with tens of millions of dollars flowing into television. social media. and mailings. The district itself covers some of the most historically liberal and politically engaged turf in the country. In that kind of environment, campaigns can feel loud by design. But the quiet factor that may matter most is not a new slogan or a flashy ad buys schedule. It’s Nadler’s endorsement—and the way it positions Assembly member Micah Lasher to voters who trust Nadler’s judgment.
Nadler backed Lasher early, and the effect is already being felt as the race crowds up. The Times argued that “Mr. Nadler’s imprimatur unquestionably positions Mr. Lasher in the inside lane.” Nadler has described it as a direct handoff. saying: “Micah is not just ready for the fight ahead of him in Washington. He’s ready to lead it.” On Lasher’s campaign website. the endorsement video includes Nadler saying that “one candidate. by every measure. stands above the rest.”.
Those words are landing in a contest with multiple powerful forces. Former Ambassador Caroline Kennedy is actively campaigning for her son, Jack Schlossberg. Meanwhile. nearly every major union in the city has thrown its support into the fray. aligning with a network of LGBTQIA+ organizations including Stonewall Democrats of New York. Equality New York. and the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club. along with the New York Progressive Action Network and Our Revolution. The unions involved include the United Federation of Teachers. the Uniformed Firefighters Association. AFSCME DC-37. the Retail. Wholesale and Department Store Union. the New York State AFL-CIO. among others—all backing Assemblyman Alex Bores.
Bores’s campaign is not just riding union momentum. He has outlined a detailed and generally progressive domestic policy platform, including pushing to regulate AI. That issue has taken center stage in debates and has attracted massive spending for and against him.
Another contender. Nina Schwalbe. a public health advocate. is touting endorsements from Tom Duane—the first openly gay member of the New York State Senate who once represented much of the district. Schwalbe also has backing from Tony Award–winning playwright. author. and activist V (formerly Eve Ensler). an endorsement that resonates in a district known for its arts culture. Attorney George Conway is also in the race, and polling reasonably well.
But the endorsement stack attached to Lasher is not shy either. Lasher has the backing of Governor Kathy Hochul and of former Manhattan Borough president Ruth Messinger. a figure beloved among West Side progressives and remembered for her courageous 1997 mayoral campaign against Republican Rudy Giuliani.
There’s also an extra political reality here: endorsements have been major in this year’s New York City Democratic congressional primaries. Mayor Zohran Mamdani has supported a slate of candidates that includes former City comptroller Brad Lander challenging two-term Representative Dan Goldman in NY-10; Assembly member Claire Valdez running to replace retiring US Representative Nydia Velázquez (who is backing another contender. Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso) in NY-07; and veteran activist Darializa Avila Chevalier aiming to unseat US Representative Adriano Espaillat in NY-13. When Mamdani rallied with his preferred candidates (and US Senator Bernie Sanders) less than a week before the primary. he announced: “People often ask me what I think of the state of the Democratic Party. This slate here today is our answer.”.
Mamdani is now a NY-12 voter because he moved to Gracie Mansion on the Upper East Side. Still, he has not endorsed any candidate in the NY-12 race, a gap that may amplify the consequence of Nadler’s endorsement.
And yet, even in a district where endorsements can carry weight, the outcome isn’t guaranteed. The intensity of this primary has turned policy differences into visible stakes. Endorsements are not always decisive, especially when candidates and their allies pour resources into shaping perceptions. Bores and Lasher, in particular, have outlined detailed and generally progressive domestic policy platforms. And on foreign policy. there has been “relative consensus among the leading candidates on Israel. ” with criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu but refusal by the contenders to characterize Israel’s assault on Gaza as a genocide.
That line may not look sharp enough to some voters—especially given what’s happening elsewhere in the city’s congressional primaries. In NY-10. Lander has identified the Gaza assault as a genocide and speaks eloquently about the need to block the sale of offensive weapons to Israel. The contrast serves as a reminder that Bores and Lasher are sharing more than tactics; they share political parallels with one another. while other races in the city have dragged the debate into a more explicit and consequential framing.
Against that backdrop, Nadler’s campaign presence becomes a kind of pressure. Even after announcing his retirement from Congress, he is still active in the race he cannot personally win. On Sunday afternoon. he was on the Upper West Side of Manhattan making a last-minute pitch for Micah Lasher—putting himself in the public eye at the exact moment voters are deciding who will take over the seat he is leaving.
In a year when lawmakers themselves have been losing public confidence. Nadler’s 67 percent approval rating among NY-12 voters gives his endorsement a specific kind of weight. He is not on the ballot. But in this primary. he is still campaigning—and for Lasher. that may be the most consequential advantage money can’t easily buy.
The wider political mood outside New York’s borders is bleak. too. with Democrats facing a midterm where the pressure is already on. The Nation’s editor and publisher Katrina vanden Heuvel wrote that Democrats must seize the moment and advance bold. small-“d” populist ideas rather than settle for “cynical caution. ” criticizing Donald Trump for spending “over $1 billion a day” on a globally destabilizing war on Iran and admitting he doesn’t “think about Americans’ financial situation.” Her letter also points to concerns about crypto and AI-funded super PACs spending “hundreds of millions of dollars. ” the Supreme Court’s “evisceration of the Voting Rights Act. ” and attempts by red states to redraw electoral maps quickly to disenfranchise Southern Black voters. It was framed as part of a call for support for independent journalism leading into November’s elections.
But inside the arithmetic of NY-12, the race turns back to Nadler’s real-world influence: his approval at home, his record in Congress, and the fact that he has chosen Lasher—publicly, early, and with language that leaves little doubt about how he wants voters to see the next step.
Jerry Nadler Micah Lasher NY-12 Democratic primary Stonewall National Monument Stonewall National Historic Site Establishment Act Kathy Hochul Ruth Messinger Caroline Kennedy Jack Schlossberg Alex Bores Nina Schwalbe Tom Duane George Conway Zohran Mamdani