Jack Schlossberg, former President John F. Kennedy’s grandson and a political journalist, said he was heavily considering running for Congress at a Georgetown University College Democrats (GUCD) talk Sept. 8.
The event, which had 135 students in attendance and more watching on a Zoom livestream, focused on the future of the Democratic Party, youth advocacy and the role of media in politics. Schlossberg announced Sept. 7 on X that he is forming an exploratory committee to consider a run for office in New York’s 12th Congressional District — a seat currently held by Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), who has announced he will retire in 2026.
When asked directly by a student about a potential run, Schlossberg said he would make an announcement soon.
“On your question of running for Congress, it’s not something that I ever planned on doing, but I am seriously thinking about it and that I will be making an announcement in a very short period of time,” Schlossberg said at the event.
GUCD posted about Schlossberg’s statement during the event, writing that the room erupted in applause after he suggested he would later make an official announcement.
Schlossberg, who has 705,000 followers on the social media platform Instagram, said that in addition to promoting progressive politics in the media, he is interested in working more directly within the government.
“None of us should shy away from trying to work within the system, as much as we find it so awful what’s going on and we’re so outraged; we don’t want to be part of it,” Schlossberg said. “I think that I want to try to resist the urge to say, ‘I don’t want to work for any of these companies ever. I don’t want to ever run for office.’”
Schlossberg also said that it is necessary for the younger generation, especially students interested in government, to remain engaged and continue to be active in politics.
“I don’t want to hear about how ‘we’re not ready and we don’t care that much; we’re just on our phones.’ I don’t want to hear that,” Schlossberg said. “I’m counting on you guys to be the role models for everybody else our age.”
Schlossberg, 32, said he thinks that, although the older generation of politicians in power are dedicated and experienced leaders, they are not always able to understand issues younger Americans are facing.
“There’s an older generation, they really care about something that you also care about,” Schlossberg said. “But they don’t get what’s happening on the internet and they don’t see it all the time, and so they don’t understand how extreme things are. And I think that it’s on us not to get mad, but to try to explain, and say that we also care about what’s going on.”
He added that despite older generations’ intentions for good governance, young people need to be at the vanguard of politics in order to restore faith in political systems.
“I don’t think it’s like a blanket ‘all old people, all boomers are bad,’” Schlossberg said. “I think there’s a lot of people who are open-minded, but I’m super frustrated by it and I think the only answer is to step up and do it yourself. I don’t see another answer.”
Another potential frontrunner in the 12th District is 79-year-old Carolyn Maloney, the district’s former representative who lost the 2022 primary to Nadler following redistricting. Other candidates include Micah Lasher, a state assemblymember, and non-profit leader Liam Elkind.
The board of GUCD wrote in a statement that they were excited by Schlossberg’s energetic push for younger representation in government.
“It’s time for a new generation of leaders to bring creative ideas to the table to counter the Trump administration,” the board wrote to The Hoya. “If we want a victorious Democratic Party, we must elevate younger leaders. We’re thrilled that Jack chose to speak at Georgetown and give our members some insight into his thoughts about potentially running for office, social media and the future of the Democratic Party.”
Schlossberg said it is key for a younger generation to enter into Congress and start to amass political power to see change in the system.
“A lot of times it takes time to acquire power in Congress and that’s how Congress works and that’s not a bad thing,” Schlossberg said. “A lot of times people who have power are older and they have seniority, and the whole place runs on seniority and that’s always been true, so it’s going to change overnight.”
“There’s a lot of times in our history where the average age was younger,” Schlossberg added. “This is sort of a new phenomenon, or at least it’s like a trend, and I think that the only answer is for young people to stand up and do something themselves.”
