Jack Schlossberg, the only grandson of former President John F. Kennedy, announced his candidacy for New York’s 12th Congressional District late Tuesday.
Schlossberg, 32, announced he is seeking retiring Democratic New York Rep. Jerry Nadler’s House seat in a video statement posted to social media, saying that America is at “a turning point.” He added that “there’s nothing” the Democratic Party “can’t do” if it is able to regain control of Congress in the 2026 midterm elections.
“This is the best part of the greatest city on Earth,” Schlossberg said in the video announcement. “We have the best hospitals and schools, restaurants and museums. This is the financial and media capital of the world. This district should have a representative who can harness the creativity, energy and drive of this district and translate that into political power in Washington.”
When reached for comment, Schlossberg’s campaign referred the Daily Caller News Foundation to a press release announcing his candidacy.
In his video statement, Schlossberg added that he is not running for Congress because he has “all the answers” to New Yorkers’ “problems.”
“I’m not running because I have all the answers to our problems,” he said. “I’m running because the people of New York 12 do. I want to listen to your struggles, hear your stories, amplify your voice, go to Washington and execute on your behalf.”
Schlossberg’s campaign launch comes after he said in a Sept. 7 X post that he had formed an “exploratory committee” for a potential congressional run.
However, Caroline Kennedy, Schlossberg’s mother, is now “living in fear” that his bid for Congress may make him “a target for violent haters,” the New York Post report noted on Wednesday, citing anonymous sources.
“Caroline has pleaded with Jack not to run, but he seems determined to follow in the political footsteps of his grandfather and generations of other Kennedys who have held political office,” one anonymous source told the Post.
Kennedy could not immediately be reached for comment.
Ahead of the 2024 presidential election, Schlossberg served as a political correspondent for Vogue. He referred to himself as a “fun, wacky guy” and “a silly goose who’s trying, just trying, to get the truth out there” in a July 2024 interview with the fashion magazine.
The Kennedy heir has become well-known for his controversial social media posts, including satirical political content and shirtless videos of himself he’s shared in the past.
Additionally, Schlossberg previously served as a campaign surrogate for both former President Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris. He’s a graduate of Yale, Harvard Law School and Harvard Business School, and he spoke at the 2024 Democratic National Convention.
Schlossberg has made headlines for publicly criticizing his cousin, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., in recent years.
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