Overview
- Micah Lasher, an Assembly member endorsed by retiring Rep. Jerrold Nadler, won the Democratic primary in New York’s 12th District while Jack Schlossberg finished third and did not concede on election night.
- Schlossberg entered the race with high-profile backing and at least $1 million of his own money and led early polls before his support eroded.
- Campaign officials and consultants pointed to chronic staff turnover, missed meetings and a weak door-to-door operation that left Schlossberg without a reliable local base.
- Personal and family pressures shaped the race because Schlossberg ran after the December death of his sister Tatiana and during public rifts following Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s political break, factors that complicated his message.
- Commentators view the result as a case study in New York politics where neighborhood coalitions, old-line endorsements and on-the-ground organization beat name recognition, and coverage varies between seeing this as a temporary setback for Schlossberg or a broader weakening of the Kennedy brand.