Dem
47
GOP
53
NY-12 isn't just any old district. It is the district Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) has represented since 1992. It is the smallest district in the country, covering Manhattan from about 18th St. to 98th St. It is D+33 and extremely powerful and wealthy, with a median household income of $153,000. Now that Nadler is tossing in his cashmere towel, the Democratic primary is one of the hottest tickets in town.
Ten Democrats and five Republicans have filed to run. We understand why there are 10 Democrats in a D+33 district. We do not understand why there are any Republicans, but what do we know? The filing deadline has passed, so that's it. Most of the attention is focused on three Democrats. Assemblyman Micah Lasher was a staffer for Nadler, Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY), and former mayor Michael Bloomberg. That kind of makes him the establishment candidate, no? Well, maybe not. Another candidate is Jack Schlossberg (formally John Bouvier Kennedy Schlossberg), a writer who happens to be JFK's grandson and the son of Caroline Kennedy. You don't get much more establishment than that. He was born in the district and went to school there until he headed off to Yale, where he was editor-in-chief of The Yale Herald. Then he got a law degree from Harvard and passed the New York State bar exam in 2023. He lives in Chelsea.
His campaign is about what you would expect from a Kennedy. He wants to make housing affordable, protect health care, defend civil rights, and root out corruption in government. He is not a big fan of Donald Trump. One person who is a fan of his is Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), who cut this ad for him:
The hyper-educated people who live on the Upper East Side and the Upper West Side are well aware of who Grandpa Jack was and who Speaker Emerita Nancy is. The candidate's CV is not as long as Lasher's and maybe he doesn't know as much about the nuts and bolts of government as Lasher, but if he gets elected and has any questions, he knows whom to ask. If he wins, speculation will immediately start about what office he will next run for and when. He is too big for a mere House seat, even one this wealthy and prestigious.
Also running is George Conway. Yeah, THAT George Conway. Kellyanne's ex. As a Democrat. George is splashy, but he is a lifelong conservative Republican in the (tied for) ninth most Democratic district in the country. Although Conway hates Donald Trump with the heat of 1,000 suns and has miles and miles of videotape proving it, Schlossberg hates Trump just as much, descends from at least four generations of Democrats, and is the grandson of a beloved president. For many Democrats, restoring the Kennedy legacy could be more important than having a technically very competent but otherwise generic Democrat represent them in the House.
A recent poll has Schlossberg at 25% of likely voters, Conway at 16%, and Lasher and state Assemblyman Alex Bores (who wants a promotion) tied at 11%. (V)