Can the Kennedys Return to Congress?

Jack Schlossberg (D-NY)

The Kennedys have been in the news a lot recently, primarily with HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy, Jr. deciding to usher back an era of the measles and communicable diseases by eliminating funding for vaccines, something that (it should be noted) Susan Collins & Bill Cassidy heartily supported.  Kennedy's own sister Kerry has called for him to resign, and has gone out of her way to support the Democrats that have tried to stop her brother from holding this position (specifically Joe Biden & Kamala Harris).  But today I don't want to talk about Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., but instead a different relative who is considering a run for Congress: President John F. Kennedy's grandson, Jack Schlossberg.

Schlossberg's candidacy comes as a result of the recent announcement that longtime Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) will retire.  Nadler represents one of the wealthiest and most high-profile congressional districts in the country, encompassing entirely the mid-section of Manhattan (and the media empires that are housed within it).  Someone on Twitter made a joke that there are more "potential candidates" in this district than in any in the country and given its median income is $75k (the highest of any in the country), they weren't wrong-celebrities, millionaires, local office-holders, & countless political scions call this district their home.

So many, in fact, it looked initially that Schlossberg wouldn't even be the only presidential offspring in the race (if he does indeed run, which is being telegraphed but isn't yet official).  Chelsea Clinton, the daughter of President Bill Clinton & Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, was talked up for the race but has since tamped down these rumors.  This is worth noting because I think Chelsea's position (her brand of celebrity, seeming lack of scandal, and connections, not to mention being the only potential heir to the Clinton political dynasty) would've been impossible to beat, even in a crowded field.  Had she run, Clinton would've not only won, but would've quickly set up a potential battle royale with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for a future Senate race in the Empire State.

Schlossberg, on the other hand, I don't think will have that same clear-the-field power.  For starters, he's younger (just 32) and not nearly as famous as Clinton would be.  His online behavior is also, let's say, occasionally odd, especially in comparison to Clinton, who has been the quintessential "well-behaved" First Daughter since the 1990's (often at odds with figures like Patti Davis and, in her early years, Jenna Bush Hager).  He frequently, during the campaign last year, made flirty videos on TikTok about JD Vance, courted controversy by comparing Usha Vance's looks to that of his grandmother Jackie, and he can be seen online walking around in his underwear.  Schlossberg seems to court a specific type of younger, social media-raised vibe (particularly that of an unusually attractive, insanely privileged rich white guy), combining an "anything goes" social media attitude with a bizarre quirkiness that earned comparisons to his mother's cousins from Grey Gardens.

As a result, I doubt any of the many candidates for the seat, ranging from local politicians like State Sen. Liz Krueger & State Rep. Micah Lasher to glossier names like former Rep. Carolyn Maloney and actress Cynthia Nixon, will step aside for Schlossberg, but it's also worth noting that presidential offspring regularly run for political office, so Schlossberg has a lot of company in this department.  While we know of people like the Bush, Adams, & Harrison dynasties (all where sons/grandsons of presidents would eventually take the White House too) there's a long history of presidential children trying to run for office.  Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Jr. and James Roosevelt both served in Congress (both would eventually lose races for Governor, trying to follow in their dad's footsteps), while John Eisenhower & Caroline Kennedy were both Ambassadors.  James Roosevelt III is a high-ranking official in the DNC, while the Taft family would basically run the Ohio Republican Party for decades, taking seats in both the House & Senate, as well as having a turn in the Governor's mansion.  It's really common to use the connections & goodwill of your last name to run for office.

But perhaps more notable would be what Schlossberg's run would mean for the Kennedy Family, which has gone from being the quintessential First Family of the Democratic Party (both Caroline & her aunt Vicki served in the Biden administration) to essentially having their name prominently displayed in the Trump White House.  No Kennedy has held major elected office in the United States since 2020, when Rep. Joe Kennedy III lost a Democratic primary for the US Senate in Massachusetts (the first time a Kennedy had ever lost a race in the Bay State), and with the death of Ethel Kennedy last year (the matriarch of the clan), their political capital feels on fumes if they don't start to exercise real power by winning elections again.  Joe Biden, Barack Obama, & Bill Clinton all delivered eulogies at Ethel Kennedy's funeral...it's highly unlikely any other member of the Kennedy family could demand that kind of lineup.  Schlossberg's personal foibles are hardly the great making of a candidate, but as someone who has followed this family a long time, I can tell you...idiosyncrasies and scandals have never stood in the way of the Kennedy's before.