Jack Schlossberg Makes Progressive Push as NY-12 Lead Evaporates

Kennedy heir Jack Schlossberg, having surrendered his early lead in the crowded race for New York’s 12th district, is now casting himself as the field’s progressive candidate in an apparent bid to turn the tide. The 33-year-old political influencer originally distinguished himself from rivals Micah Lasher and Alex Bores by pledging not to accept money from Super PACs — a position he has promoted with the slogan “No Pac Jack” — and billing himself as an “anti-establishment” and “outsider” candidate. Now, with less than a month before voters head to the polls, Mr. Schlossberg has escalated his criticisms, going as far as to argue that the frontrunners’ positions on Israel and President Trump put them out of step with the Democratic Party — and make him the only true Democrat in the race.“@AlexBores and @MicahLasher are wholly-owned subsidiaries of billionaires… Trump-supporting billionaires. Mandami-hating billionaires. Union-bashing billionaires. Republican-voting billionaires,” Mr. Schlossberg posted on X last week. He added: “ARE THEY DEMOCRATS ?” The message has become a refrain in Mr. Schlossberg’s recent social media posts as he works to recover lost ground. In another post, he accused Messers. Lasher and Bores of wanting “to sell my home town to Republicans,” arguing that “NY12 needs a Democrat, not a Trojan Horse.” The following day, he declared: “I’m the only Democrat in the NY12 primary.” Mr. Schlossberg has specifically faulted Mr. Lasher and Mr. Bores for declining to endorse Mayor Zohran Mamdani in the primary — both opted to back the democratic socialist candidate only ahead of the general election — and for accepting donations from individuals who also funded Trump-backed candidates in other races.He has also made Israel a central front in his campaign, touting himself as the only candidate willing to condition military aid to the Jewish state. In a recent Instagram post, he went further, declaring his support for “no weapons to Israel.”“The record shows Jack is the leading progressive candidate by a mile,” the Schlossberg campaign told City & State New York earlier this month. “He was the first candidate to endorse (Mayor Zohran) Mamdani, the only candidate to oppose the war in Iran on substantive grounds, the only candidate that has gone on the record to support the (U.S. Sen. Bernie) Sanders resolution that blocked bombs and bulldozers to (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s) right-wing government, the only candidate that supports true public housing, and the only candidate refusing super PAC money.” Mr. Schlossberg’s latest campaign push comes as polls have placed him well behind frontrunner Mr. Lasher, a protégé and endorsee of outgoing Representative Jerry Nadler, and Mr. Bores, an assemblymember and former Palantir employee turned AI regulation proponent. The results mark a significant reversal from his early lead through the winter and into spring.His slide followed allegations of high staff turnover and reports of erratic behavior. In April, just six months after launch, Politico reported that Mr. Schlossberg had cycled through two operations directors, a campaign manager, and at least two political consulting firms.A New York Times report added fresh details of the dysfunction, citing claims from those close to him that he would regularly skip weekly strategy sessions and disappear for long stretches without explanation. The Times also reported that the 33-year-old left his own campaign launch abruptly to take a nap, then effectively went dark for the rest of the day. His new campaign manager, Paige Phillips, pushed back on the Times report, noting that Mr. Schlossberg was campaigning “amid a deeply, deeply personal tragedy” — the death of his sister, Tatiana, in December. “If an anonymous source thought he ‘disappeared’ at any point, they should remind themselves of that fact,” Ms. Phillips told the paper.

Jack Schlossberg Makes Progressive Push as NY-12 Lead Evaporates

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