NEW: Ex-President’s Grandson Considers Run For Congress

Jack Schlossberg, the grandson of President John F. Kennedy, announced Sunday that he is forming a committee in order to explore a potential run for Congress in New York.

Schlossberg, 32, would be entering what is almost certain to be a tightly contested Democratic Party primary contest in New York’s 12th Congressional District. The deep blue district is currently represented by longtime Democrat Jerry Nadler, who announced last week that he will not be seeking re-election in 2026 after a 34-year run in Washington.

The Empire State’s 12th Congressional District sits in New York City and includes parts of the Upper East Side, the Upper West Side and nearly all of midtown Manhattan. According to the Cook Partisan Voting Index, the district currently sits at D+33.

Schlossberg confirmed that he will be throwing his hat in the ring after he posted a poll to his Instagram page asking if he should run. The result was overwhelming, with 91 percent of his followers saying he should launch a bid.

“Hey guys ? have formed an exploratory committee,” he later posted on X Sunday.

Schlossberg speaks at the Democratic National Convention in 2024

The Kennedy scion is a writer with credits in a number of mainstream outlets, including Vogue, The Washington Post and Politico. He has also generated headlines for his political commentary in the past, which largely centers on trashing his uncle, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

He has also fired off a number of head-scratching social media posts in recent months, including one in which he asked whether Vice President JD Vance’s wife, Usha, is “hotter” than his late grandmother Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

Schlossberg has become increasingly involved in Democratic Party politics after speaking at the party’s convention last year. This includes closer ties with senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who tapped the Kennedy heir last month to join him on the America 250 Commission ahead of the nation’s anniversary celebration last year, the New York Post reported.

Prior to announcing his retirement, Rep. Nadler had harsh words for Schlossberg as he considered a potential primary challenge. “Well, there’s nothing particularly good or bad about a Kennedy holding my seat. But the Kennedy, unlike Schlossberg, should be somebody with a record of public service, a record of public accomplishment, and he doesn’t have one,” Nadler told CNN’s Kate Bolduan earlier this week.

“And so, I don’t think he’s going to be a candidate in the end, and he certainly is not going to be a major candidate. There will be major candidates.”

In addition to Schlossberg, former Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), state Assemblymen Alex Bores and Tony Simone, city Councilman Erik Bottcher and actress and former gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon have been viewed as potential candidates for the seat.