Jack Schlossberg is 33 years old, has never held elected office, has a Harvard MBA and law degree he has not used in any publicly documented capacity, and is running today for the congressional seat that Jerry Nadler has held since 1992, which is the year Schlossberg was born minus seven years. His main qualification is that his grandfather was John F. Kennedy. His main campaign asset is that he goes viral on social media while shirtless doing impression videos. Slate, which described him as “sloppy” and “underqualified,” published a piece this week headlined “Jack Schlossberg is a sloppy, underqualified Kennedy. He should go to Congress.” The “he should go to Congress” part is where American politics currently is.
Schlossberg’s campaign launch event at Terminal 5 in Manhattan featured, according to Slate, aides “windswept, screaming at one another because no one had the wristbands,” two speeches from “textbook campaign types,” and then Schlossberg himself emerging onto the stage “flanked inexplicably by two bagpipers.” He then told the crowd, per Slate: “I’m going to be the most confusing member of Congress.” He said this as a promise. He then dabbed.
His primary competitors include George Conway, the former Republican and ex-husband of Kellyanne Conway, who has 3 million followers on social media and has been posting anti-Trump content since 2017, which is either a qualification or a product, depending on how you look at it. According to Slate, one candidate, Alex Bores, is running specifically against artificial intelligence on the grounds that he is the candidate most capable of understanding it, which is a niche that exists because we live here now.
The polling average in NY-12 has Schlossberg ahead. He has the endorsement of Nancy Pelosi, which he received in February. According to HuffPost, Pelosi said Schlossberg has “passion for solving problems, particularly his ability to engage and inspire young people.” The district he is running in covers Chelsea, the Upper West Side, the Upper East Side, and all of Central Park. Its voters are mostly affluent, mostly college-educated, and mostly furious about Trump. They are, according to Slate, also largely in their 60s, 70s, and 80s, and supporting Schlossberg because they remember his grandfather.
His grandfather has been dead for 63 years.
When the Democratic Party’s most exciting new congressional candidate is running on a dead president and viral impression videos, and Slate says he should win anyway, what exactly has the talent pipeline produced?
Sources
Slate: Jack Schlossberg is a sloppy, underqualified Kennedy. He should go to Congress
HuffPost: Jack Schlossberg, JFK’s Grandson And Online Provocateur, Is Running For Congress
HuffPost: Kennedy Heir Jack Schlossberg: 2026 ‘Last Chance To Stop Trump’
