From Camelot to ‘outsider’: JFK’s grandson shakes up NYC House race taking aim at gatekeeping Dem 'machine'
Jack Schlossberg, the only grandson of former President John F. Kennedy, is running for Congress in New York City, where he says, despite being a member of arguably the most prominent political family in American history, he’s heading an ‘outsider’ campaign that’s upsetting the political establishment power brokers.
"It’s probably hard for people to believe me saying that I'm an anti-establishment outsider given my family ties, but in this race, I really am," Schlossberg told Fox News Digital in an interview.
"I am going up against a political machine here in NY-12 that doesn't want change, that doesn't want any outsiders to come shake things up, do things differently," he continued. "They want to control the people who they send to Congress, and that means trading favors and endorsements before the seat has even opened up."
A dozen Democrats are running in the June primary to replace Democratic Congressman Jerry Nadler, who announced his retirement in September at the age of 78 after more than three decades in Congress, citing the need for "generational change" in the party.
If Schlossberg, the only son of John F. Kennedy's daughter Caroline, wants to be the Democrat that brings that change, he will have to navigate a political landscape in New York City dominated by county committees, major donors, and a Nadler-endorsed candidate in the race.
"The insiders here, they don't like us," Schlossberg said, before providing a recent example he says helps paint the picture of what he’s up against.
"There's a couple of Democratic clubs here in New York-12, and I got a lot of respect for any group that does civic engagement, and that's great, no knocks for that, but they've had a few forums where they invite the candidates to come speak. There was at least three forums where we found out about the forum because it was posted online with the lineup of all the other candidates, and we hadn't been invited yet, so we're kind of disinvited and disrespected when we get there," Schlossberg said.
"But I think what's interesting — I think at least—is we do show up at all the forums, we put our best foot forward, and afterwards, there's been a couple of times where some of the members — maybe not the leaders of the organizations, but some of the members — come up, and they say, 'Hey, listen, I couldn't say this, but you got my vote.' There's whispers. There are whispers around from the members and the people who realize this seat shouldn't just be handed to somebody."
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Schlossberg, who is personally wealthy and was endorsed by family friend Speaker Emerita Rep. Nancy Pelosi, is lagging behind two candidates, venture capitalist Alex Bores, N.Y. State Rep. and Nadler protégé Micah Lasher, in fundraising and cash on hand.
One of the most prominent Democratic organizations in New York City, the Four Freedoms Democratic Club, endorsed Bores, as did The NewDEAL.
Eleanor Roosevelt Independent Democrats, another significant Democratic club in Manhattan, endorsed Lasher.
Prominent local elected Democrats have mostly endorsed other candidates over Schlossberg and the 33-year-old New York City native told Fox News Digital he is the one candidate in the race that doesn’t "owe anybody anything."
"I'm the only candidate who's gone out and said I won't take money from corporate PACs, from super PACS, or from big AI companies, and I'm doing this because we're a people-powered campaign," Schlossberg said, pointing out that his average donation is $40 and that his grassroots style of campaigning shows up on the streets of New York City when he holds events, including a packed house during a recent blizzard.
"I posted one infographic on my Instagram during the middle of a blizzard, and we had 300 people show up for a pizza party the next day, ready to, with Jack for New York shirts on, ready to volunteer, ready to sign up," Schlossberg said. "And they're there because they care. They're there because they understand our campaign isn't bought or paid for by any interest group, dark money, anything. We're for the people, and we're doing this our way."
Just months after socialist New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, endorsed by Schlossberg, rode an anti-establishment wave into Gracie Mansion, the progressive Kennedy is promising to "shake things up" and attempt to ride a similar wave to Washington, D.C.
Schlossberg has faced intense criticism from Republicans and conservatives for some of his progressive platforms, inflammatory social media posts, and critiques of the Trump administration that included his own cousin Robert F. Kennedy Jr., but he told Fox News Digital the thing he is "probably the most proud of is the policies that I’ve released to date", which he believes will resonate with residents of his district, where 81% of voters supported former VP Kamala Harris in 2024.
Those policies, Schlossberg says, include a "standard renters deduction" that would let renters in NY-12 deduct part of their rent from their federal income taxes, lowering the cost of food and clothing by isolating and repealing certain tariffs while negotiating a broader trade deal, a plan called "Jack’s Fast Track Plan" to double funding for security upgrades at houses of worship in the district, and the "Ricochet Rule" to "stop the flow of illegal firearms into our state that end up being used in crime."
Schlossberg joked that he understands now why the United States has secret ballots as he goes around and sees people "that may not be able to socially say that the'yre for Schlossberg" but that the "secrets going to get out eventually when we deliver a victory in June."
Voters in NY-12 will take part in the Democratic primary to determine their nominee on June 23 and the winner is widely believed to be in the driver's seat to win the general election in one of the most heavily Democratic districts in the country.