Overview
- He announced his candidacy Tuesday via email and a video, saying New York’s 12th District deserves a representative who can translate its energy into political power in Washington.
- The open Manhattan seat follows Rep. Jerry Nadler’s retirement after more than three decades, and Nadler has publicly questioned Schlossberg’s lack of a record in elected office.
- Schlossberg says Democrats must retake the House to address cost-of-living pressures, corruption and what he calls a constitutional crisis under President Donald Trump.
- He joins a primary field that already includes state Assembly Members Micah Lasher and Alex Bores as well as organizer Liam Elkind, with the Democratic primary set for June 2026.
- The Yale- and Harvard-educated first-time candidate highlights a sizable online presence — more than 830,000 followers on TikTok and about 172,000 on X — and he has been a frequent critic of his cousin, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.