NEW YORK — Jack Kennedy Schlossberg, grandson of President John F. Kennedy, enters Tuesday’s Democratic primary for New York’s 12th Congressional District facing what polls suggest is an uphill race despite the most famous surname in Democratic politics. The 33-year-old lawyer and social media personality, whose speech at the 2024 Democratic National Convention went viral, is one of eight candidates competing for the Manhattan seat that retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler has held for decades. The primary requires only a plurality to win. But Schlossberg’s campaign has struggled to convert celebrity attention into electoral infrastructure, raising questions about whether the Kennedy name still delivers votes the way it once opened doors.

The race has become a test case for what matters more in modern Democratic primaries: viral fame and a legendary lineage, or the institutional endorsements and ground operations that have traditionally decided these contests.

Who Is Jack Schlossberg and Why Is He Running?

Schlossberg is the only son of Caroline Kennedy and Edwin Schlossberg. He never met his grandfather, President Kennedy. He has early memories of his uncle John F. Kennedy Jr., who died in a plane crash in 1999. His mother served as US ambassador to Japan under President Barack Obama and briefly sought appointment to a Senate seat in 2008.

According to CNN’s profile of Schlossberg and his campaign published ahead of the primary, he decided to run after years of being asked about family legacy questions—including his cousin Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s presidential campaign and appointment to Donald Trump’s Cabinet, and Trump’s moves involving the Kennedy Center and JFK assassination files.

“I didn’t just say, ‘Oh, hey, I’d like to try politics now after a lifetime of not caring,'” Schlossberg told CNN. “It was like, ‘No, this is all really happening right now, and it’s really important, and I was born into this situation, and I really, really care about, and know my history, and I know the history of our party.'”

His campaign argues that in an attention economy, a candidate with his online following can reach voters who think politics is pointless. “Our party is just not good at selling our message,” he said. “Everyone says that it’s time for a new generation… until somebody actually tries, and then they don’t want to.”

As our analysis of generational change in Democratic Party leadership has documented, the tension between institutional experience and fresh faces has become a defining internal conflict for the party.

The Campaign That Hasn’t Clicked

Schlossberg launched with advantages most candidates never access. Nancy Pelosi endorsed him. Caroline Kennedy’s network of influential friends donated early. His DNC speech had made him a recognizable figure to Democratic voters nationwide.

But several factors have blunted the momentum. He fired his press secretary after a few weeks of the campaign, CNN reported, and now routes interview requests through a personal assistant. Opponents accuse him of barely campaigning. Multiple people familiar with the matter told CNN he didn’t realize when he launched that New York City’s ranked-choice voting system didn’t apply to congressional races.

Retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler, who has represented the district for decades, told CNN that Schlossberg is “somebody with no credentials and no anything getting into the race.” Nadler has endorsed Micah Lasher, an assemblyman who interned for him 25 years ago and rose through campaign and government positions since.

Nadler also noted he received no heads-up from Pelosi about her endorsement of Schlossberg—a rare public signal of the institutional divide the primary has exposed.

A New York Times story in May reported that on the day Schlossberg prepared to launch his campaign, he told aides he had to go home to sleep. What the story didn’t include, Schlossberg told friends and CNN, is that he was going to see his sister Tatiana, who had terminal leukemia and had not yet disclosed her diagnosis. Tatiana Schlossberg’s essay in The New Yorker, revealing her illness, appeared on November 22. She died on December 30.

As our profile of the Kennedy family’s political legacy and modern challenges explored, the personal losses that have defined the family across generations remain a constant backdrop to its public life.

The Candidates and the Stakes

Eight candidates are competing. A plurality is all that’s required to win.

Micah Lasher has Nadler’s endorsement and has accumulated local politician and union backing. He has framed his candidacy around nearly two decades in public service. At a recent debate, he told Schlossberg: “I’m on this stage because of nearly two decades in public service.” Schlossberg fired back: “Do not ever invoke my family name to try to denigrate who I am.”

Alex Bores, another assemblyman, is a former engineer for data and AI company Palantir. He has drawn significant PAC spending both supporting and opposing him from artificial intelligence-focused groups. Bores recently took aim at both leading rivals: “I think this district deserves more than establishment or entitlement; it deserves effectiveness.”

Schlossberg has the name. He has Pelosi’s endorsement. His final campaign ad features his mother, Caroline, speaking directly to the camera about how he represents what politics needs. Split-screen footage shows her as a child playing with President Kennedy.

Whether that’s enough to overcome the institutional machinery arrayed around Lasher and the financial firepower behind Bores is the question Manhattan Democrats will answer Tuesday.

According to official New York City Board of Elections primary information for the June 23 vote, polls opened across the 12th District for early voting earlier this month.