Editor’s note: This file has been updated to correct the relationship between Jack Schlossberg and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Jack Schlossberg, the grandson of former President Kennedy, is running to succeed retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) in the Empire State’s 12th Congressional District.
In a video posted to Instagram on Tuesday, Schlossberg said the country “is at a turning point” and facing a cost of living, corruption and constitutional crisis under President Trump. Change starts with Democrats recapturing control of the House next November, he added.
“With control of Congress, there’s nothing we can’t do. Without it, we’re helpless to a third term,” Schlossberg said, referencing Trump’s rhetoric about running for a third term despite being constitutionally barred from doing so.
Schlossberg, 32, was born in New York City. The 12th District spans Midtown Manhattan and the Upper West and Upper East sides.
In his post, the Democrat said he “took the bus to school every single day from one side of the district to the other.” He attended the Collegiate School, an all-boys private school on the Upper West Side.
A graduate of Yale University and Harvard Law School, Schlossberg has a significant following on social media — with roughly 728,000 followers on Instagram and nearly 173,000 followers on X.
Schlossberg spoke at the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, and frequently criticizes Trump and his cousin, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The Kennedy heir joins a crowded Democratic primary to succeed Nadler, who said in September he would not seek reelection in order to make room for the next generation of Democratic leaders. New York State Assembly members Micah Lasher, 43, and Alex Bores, 35, journalist and lawyer Jami Floyd, 51, and nonprofit founder Liam Elkind, 26, are also in the race.
Erik Bottcher, a 46-year-old who represents part of the district in city council, also filed to run in October.
In September, after announcing his impending retirement, Nadler told CNN’s Kate Bolduan that Schlossberg “is not going to be a major candidate” to replace him in Congress.
The Hill has reached out to Nadler’s office for comment.
Updated at 12:57 p.m. EST