How many people does it take to fill Representative Jerrold Nadler’s shoes? Technically one, but the number of Democrats fighting to succeed him, now that he has announced that he will not seek re-election, is far higher.
The 10 contenders include a Kennedy scion, a Gen Z democratic socialist and a former journalist who, if elected, would be the first Black woman to represent the area.
The heightened interest in the 12th Congressional District makes it clear that this is no ordinary House seat. Stretching the width of Manhattan and running from Union Square to the top of Central Park, the district is New York’s wealthiest and one of its bluest. It offers immediate access to the city’s concentration of wealthy donors, media giants and Democratic top brass.
And whoever wins the Democratic primary in June might well expect to stay in the seat as long as they like: Mr. Nadler served in Congress for 34 years, and was re-elected by more than 60 percentage points in 2024.
Here’s a running list of declared candidates:
Alex Bores
Mr. Bores, a former software engineer and second-term state assemblyman, started his congressional campaign in October. His message underlines the need for leadership that is equipped to respond to challenges posed by President Trump and the wealthy tech executives in his political orbit. Before running for office, he worked for a handful of cybersecurity and technology companies.
Mr. Bores, 35, was born and raised in New York City, and his Assembly district sits in the heart of the 12th District. In Albany, he leads the assembly’s Future Caucus, a bipartisan body of millennial and Gen Z lawmakers.
Erik Bottcher
Much of Mr. Bottcher’s personal story as a gay man and community organizer informs his run. A city councilman from Chelsea and L.G.B.T.Q. rights activist, he announced his campaign on Nov. 13. In his campaign launch video, Mr. Bottcher, 46, tells the story of his closeted childhood in the Adirondack Mountains and said the bullying he faced led him to attempt suicide. Now, as a candidate for the district, he said he is running to stand up to figures like Mr. Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson, characterizing them as contemporary “bullies.”
He has made mental health a key point of his campaign and said he will focus on the work he has done to expand mental health resources for the city’s homeless youth and increase the supply of affordable housing.
Laura Dunn
Ms. Dunn is a civil rights lawyer who spent much of her legal career defending women and victims of assault. She has worked on Capitol Hill to address sexual assault of women in the military and victims of human trafficking and weighs in frequently on Title IX issues as an expert voice.
Ms. Dunn, 40, has centered her campaign around support for national Democratic causes. She has marched against Mr. Trump’s immigration crackdowns, condemned Republican leadership for loss of SNAP benefits during the government shutdown and called for more environmental protections for the city’s green spaces.
Liam Elkind
When Mr. Elkind began his campaign in July, Mr. Nadler was still in the race, and Mr. Elkind cast his candidacy as part of a broader push among younger Democrats to oust older members of their party. At 26, the nonprofit founder and former Rhodes scholar is one of the youngest candidates in the primary.
Before running for office, Mr. Elkind founded a nonprofit that helps deliver food, medicine and other essential supplies to older people and food-insecure New Yorkers. If elected, he has pledged to enact term limits, end stock trading among members of Congress and refuse corporate PAC donations.
Jami Floyd
Ms. Floyd was a broadcast journalist and national commentator on race, politics and law for decades before she started her campaign. She hosted “All Things Considered,” NPR’s flagship radio show, for five years and has reported for ABC News, Court TV and MSNBC, where she worked as a legal analyst. She has also served in the Clinton administration and sat on a Manhattan community board for the last four years.
Ms. Floyd, 61, has aimed to stake out a moderate lane in the primary. She said she did not vote for Zohran Mamdani in the mayoral race, even as she has been critical of national Democrats for perceived lack of action in Washington. She has stressed the need for common-sense solutions to lower housing costs and grocery prices and bolster public safety.
Cameron Kasky
Mr. Kasky has been involved in politics and organizing since he was in high school, when he co-founded the gun control group March for Our Lives after surviving the 2018 Parkland school shooting. His criticism of Israel’s conduct in its war against Hamas is a large part of his campaign message, as he has tied the bloodshed his classmates experienced during the shooting to the death and destruction that civilians in the Gaza Strip have endured.
If elected, Mr. Kasky, 25, would be the youngest member of Congress. He said he was inspired by the success of Mr. Mamdani’s mayoral campaign and shared his democratic socialist values despite not being a member of New York’s chapter of the organization.
Micah Lasher
A longtime confidant of Mr. Nadler, Mr. Lasher, 43, has been widely considered the favorite in the primary. The first-term state assemblyman was the first to launch his campaign after Mr. Nadler’s retirement announcement, announcing his run in September. He has worked in Democratic politics since he was a teenager, and has close ties to top Democratic power brokers, including Attorney General Letitia James.
Some of his policy proposals mirror the progressive ideals of his political mentor, like passing Medicare for All and raising the city’s minimum wage. But he is also running on his work in Albany, including his sponsorship of legislation that would redraw New York’s congressional district maps in response to redistricting efforts in Republican-led states. Mr. Nadler appeared in his first campaign advertisement, and though the congressman has not yet formally endorsed in the primary, he is expected to throw his support behind Mr. Lasher.
Alan Pardee
Mr. Pardee, 58, held top roles at Merrill Lynch and Mercury Capital Advisors for more than 30 years before pursuing political office. He was born and raised in much of the territory that is now part of the 12th District and said his upbringing there inspired him to run to improve it. He has identified housing and hunger as the two biggest issues he would like to tackle in office, along with strengthening Democrats’ response to Mr. Trump.
Jack Schlossberg
Though he has never held or run for office before, Mr. Schlossberg enters the primary with something none of his opponents have: a direct familial connection to the Kennedys, America’s most storied political family. He is the only grandson of John F. Kennedy, and his mother, Caroline Kennedy, was ambassador to Australia under President Joe Biden.
Mr. Schlossberg, 32, is best known as an internet political commentator. He has opined on all matter of subjects to his nearly 2 million followers across social media platforms and has been especially critical of his cousin Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who now serves as secretary of Health and Human Services under Mr. Trump. He said he is running to respond to the constitutional and cost-of-living crises brought on by the president’s policies and to lend his voice to Democrats struggling to outline a compelling message.
Mathew Shurka
Mr. Shurka, 37, an L.G.B.T.Q. rights activist, is a first-time candidate but has highlighted his experience in shaping laws as part of his campaign message. He has been an outspoken opponent of conversion therapy after undergoing the treatment for five years as an adolescent and co-founded the group Born Perfect with the National Center for L.G.B.T.Q. Rights to organize against it. He has also worked with members of Congress to enact a national ban and submitted a brief to the U.S. Supreme Court which is hearing a case about it.
He said he will bring his experience working with legislators and Democrat-aligned groups to Washington if elected. A former waiter, he said he also hopes to back bills that would make cities like New York more affordable for young working people.
Maya King is a Times reporter covering New York politics.
The post Who’s Running to Replace Jerry Nadler? 10 People and Counting. appeared first on New York Times.
