Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is expected to formally endorse Jack Schlossberg on Sunday in his bid for the Democratic nomination in New York City’s 12th Congressional District, according to three people familiar with her plans who spoke to The New York Times.
Schlossberg, 33, is the grandson of former President John F. Kennedy and a cousin of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.. He is running in the open-seat primary for the affluent Manhattan district, where multiple Democrats are vying to succeed a retiring incumbent.
Pelosi, who represents California’s 11th Congressional District and is planning to retire from Congress in January, said in a statement reviewed by The Times that Schlossberg’s candidacy would “help Democrats win nationwide.” The endorsement has not yet been publicly announced, and those who discussed it did so on condition of anonymity. The Independent has contacted representatives for both Pelosi and Schlossberg for comment.
In a brief interview cited by The Times, Schlossberg, an online political commentator, described Pelosi as “a hero” and said her support felt like “a shot of adrenaline.” He likened the moment to Pelosi’s dramatic tearing of President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address during his previous term.
Schlossberg entered the race in November after Representative Jerry Nadler announced plans to retire following 34 years in Congress. Nadler, a former chairman of the House Judiciary Committee who led two impeachment efforts against Trump, is expected to endorse his longtime ally Micah Lasher, a 44-year-old first-term New York state assemblyman.
If Schlossberg were to win the June Democratic primary, he would be heavily favored to secure the seat in the general election, potentially positioning him as one of the youngest rising figures in New York politics since Trump’s return to the White House.
Jack Schlossberg, former President John F. Kennedy’s grandson, speaks during the second day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago.
The primary field also includes state Assemblymember Alex Bores, journalist Jami Floyd, and attorney George Conway, setting up a crowded and closely watched contest in one of the city’s most powerful districts.
Pelosi rarely intervenes in primary races, making her expected endorsement notable. Her support for Schlossberg mirrors her past backing of another Kennedy family member, Joseph P. Kennedy III, during his unsuccessful 2020 Senate run, underscoring both the enduring pull of the Kennedy name and Pelosi’s willingness, at moments, to bet on political legacy.
