need to know
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Jack Schlossberg’s hotly contested House campaign boasts early donors including actor John Goodman and Schlossberg’s mother, Caroline Kennedy
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Schlossberg’s campaign website, “Jack for New York,” says he is “running for Congress because the best of the greatest city on Earth needs to be heard loud and clear in Washington and deserves a representative who won’t back down.”
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The primary election is scheduled for June 23
Jack Schlossberg’s congressional campaign is attracting high-profile donors.
Schlossberg, 33, announced his candidacy to represent New York’s 12th Congressional District in a November 2025 email to supporters and in an interview new york times Same month. He told the media he believed Democrats needed a majority in the House to restore democratic norms.
Schlossberg has raised nearly $600,000 so far from more than 200 backers, according to the Federal Election Commission. Actor John Goodman and his mother, Caroline Kennedy, were among the donors, along with grassroots donations to the campaign.
Other donors include: saturday night live Executive producers Lorne Michaels, Bette Midler, Paul Simon, former White House press secretary Jay Carney and former HBO CEO Richard Plepper.
“There is nothing our party can do to address the cost of living, corruption and the constitutional crisis we are in,” he told parliament era November. “But without Congressional control, we can do almost nothing. able Do. “
Before announcing his candidacy, Schlossberg, the only grandson of President John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy, had a prominent social media presence and a following.
“I think the internet is a very difficult place to break through, and it’s very difficult to break through, especially if you don’t say something controversial or at least unexpected in some way,” Schlossberg explained to MSNBC’s Jen Psaki in February 2025. “And I think the Democrats, I think, are not as good at this game as we are.”
Schlossberg’s journey into the spotlight began when his controversial relative Robert F. Kennedy Jr. launched a 2023 presidential bid, despite the Kennedy family’s overwhelming support for Democratic nominee Joe Biden.
Schlossberg accused Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — an anti-vaccination activist and a political outlier in the family — of using the Kennedy name for personal gain without furthering the work started by his uncle and father, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. currently serves as President Donald Trump’s secretary of Health and Human Services.
“President John F. Kennedy was my grandfather and his legacy is important,” Schlossberg told reporters. era At the same time, he announced his candidacy for Congress. “It’s not just about Camelot and conspiracy theories. It’s about public service and courage. It’s about civil rights, the Cuban Missile Crisis and the manned moon landing.”
“If my cousin Bobby Kennedy Jr. cared about any of them, he would support Joe Biden,” he added.
Schlossberg said he is “running for Congress because the best of the greatest city on Earth needs to be heard loud and clear in Washington and deserves a representative who won’t back down,” according to his campaign website, “Jack for New York.”
He launched his campaign after Rep. Jerry Nadler announced his retirement from Congress and put the coveted NY-12 House seat up for grabs after 14 terms, saying he hoped “generational change” would follow him.
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Nadler, 78, clarified his remarks after learning of Schlossberg’s candidacy.
“Well, there’s nothing particularly good or bad about Kennedy occupying my seat,” Nadler told CNN. “But Kennedy, unlike Schlossberg, was supposed to be a guy who had a record of public service, a record of public achievement, and he didn’t.”
Nadler predicted that Schlossberg “will certainly not be the leading candidate.”
Schlossberg is one of nine Democratic candidates vying for Nadler’s seat in the Manhattan borough race. Other candidates include state Reps. Alex Bores and Micah Rusher, Assemblyman Eric Boettcher, civil rights attorney Laura Dunn, attorney and journalist Jami Floyd, Alan Pardee, Liam Elkind and activist Cameron Kaski.
The primary election is scheduled for June 23.
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