After New York’s (N.Y.) Rep. Jerry Nadler vacated his United States (U.S.) House seat, Jack Schlossberg, grandson of former President John F. Kennedy, recently announced his campaign for N.Y.’s Congressional seat, stirring up controversy amongst both Democrats and Republicans. Schlossberg first gained media traction in the weeks before the 2024 Presidential election after being declared Vogue’s political correspondent.
During this time, he took to his social media posting content that ranged from him singing along to CharliXCX’s hit song “365,” mocking his cousin RFK Jr. and posting political commentary. When questioned about his social media presence, Schlossberg states it is his way of “figuring a way to breathe” in a “toxic social media environment that has been dominated by Republicans.”
However, critics remain unimpressed by both his untraditional social media approach and his resume. The Kennedy heir graduated from Yale, obtained both his law degree and MBA from Harvard, and worked as a political surrogate for Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign. Despite these recognizable names, an anonymous high-profile Democrat campaigner has stated, “The Democrats don’t want him … we don’t need more distractions.”
Nadler, whose seat Schlossberg is running to occupy, informed CNN that his successor should have “a record of public service [and] a record of public accomplishment,” which Schlossberg “doesn’t have.”
While Schlossberg hasn’t released any official announcement on policy stances he will take, he has stated, “I’m not running because I have all the answers to our problems … the people of New York 12 do … I want to listen to your struggles … [and] go to Washington and execute on your behalf.” He has also openly criticized the Democratic Party’s minimal pushback against the Trump administration’s controversial antics and he claims that without Democrats winning back control of the House of Representatives, “we’re helpless to a third term.”
While it is unconstitutional for a president to hold a third term in office, this has not stopped President Trump and his supporters from dwelling on the idea.
