John F. Kennedy‘s grandson Jack Schlossberg was hoping to continue his family’s political legacy, but his dream came up short.
Schlossberg’s run for office came to an end on Tuesday, June 23, when he failed to secure the Democratic nomination in New York’s 12th Congressional District.
After running his campaign against fellow Democratic candidates including state Assemblyman Micah Lasher, state Assemblyman Alex Bores, lawyer George Conway and public health researcher Nina Schwalbe, Schlossberg, 33, ultimately finished the primary in third place. Lasher received the most votes and will be on the ballot during the general election in November.
Schlossberg, who is the son of Caroline Kennedy and Edwin Schlossberg, announced his campaign in November 2025. Weeks later, Jack’s sister Tatiana Schlossberg died at age 35 after a battle with leukemia.
Jack returned to the campaign trail after mourning his family’s loss.
“The last thing that she said to me was, ‘You better win,’” Jack said of his sister during a March appearance on CBS Sunday Morning.
Amid his grassroots efforts to get elected, Jack faced obstacles, with The New York Times publishing a report in May that referred to his campaign as “chaotic” and “erratic.” The report included allegations that he had high staff turnover and was often absent for long periods of time without explanation.
“Just hours into his Day 1 launch, the candidate abruptly announced a change of plans, according to three people familiar with the events,” the report claimed. “Forget dialing for dollars — Mr. Schlossberg said he needed a nap. He then effectively disappeared for the day, leaving his team reeling.”
Jack, for his part, directly addressed the claims.
“There’s a lot in that article that’s not true, but you know how this works: Once you’re declared the frontrunner and early voting starts in less than a month, everyone’s got something to say,” he told Inside Politics host Dana Bash at the time.
He added: “I’m a decisive person, and I run an operation that is nimble and small. … I have a core group of people who have been with me since the beginning.”
Before results were called on election night, Jack thanked campaign staff and issued a strong message about fighting “corruption” in politics.
“We don’t just need younger candidates. We need different people,” he said, per the Associated Press. “Unless Democrats learn from the signals that are being sent all across the country, we are going to keep on losing.”
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