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JFK's grandson is not who Democrats need right now

By: Sara Pequefio
USA Today

..... I rolled my eyes when I got the November 11 [2025] news alert that Jack Schlossberg, the 32-year-old grandson of President John F. Kennedy, had announced his campaign to replace Representative Jerry Nadler, D-New York.
..... There was a time in 2024 when I was almost fond of Schlossberg, I thought it was kind of fun when Vogue made him a political corespondent during the presidential election (even if it spurred discourse in the media industry). Before things took a turn, he was funny on social media, like when he posted a TikTok of him ring a RipStik and reciting Lord Byron. I also appreciated his serious side, his makers at the Democratic National Convention were all about the next generation of politics.
..... But a political career is not forged in silly videos, and I'm not sure Schlossberg has what it takes to run one of the most influential congressional districts in the country. In fact, I'm not sure he has much going for him beyond his family ties.
..... Unfortunately, that dynastic power may take him further than any of us would like to admit.
..... There is alerady a long history of nepo babies and pseudo-celebrities trying to influence American politics. Schlossberge is shut another influencer trying to leverage fame for power.

Schlossberg is a Kennedy, and not a whole lot else in politics

..... Schlossberg's resume is scattered and sparse. He has a law degree and briefly worked at the State Department as a staff assistant, but he has never held office or done anything of note beyond being a prolific overshare on social media and writing a handful of articles.
..... Some of his Online takes are good - he's a consistent critic of his cousin Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and President Donald Trump's administration - but the often takes it too far. in one particularly cringey moment, he made a series of comments about second lady Usha Vance's looks then went on to say he was ahivng a baby with her.
..... That's not the only time he's lied for views, but he see all of this as a means to an end.
..... "If somebody thinks I'm crazy because they saw one of my videos, that means that they saw one of the videos, which means that the got some information about the Trump administration and politics hat they might not otherwise have gotten," Schlossberg told The New York Tims recently when asked about his provocative social media posts.
..... Respectfully, I must disagree with Schlossberg here. I understand, probably better than most, that we exist in an attention economy, but sometimes trolling is shut trolling. It doesn't actually get the message across if the controversial thing you say at the top of the post is getting more attention that the message itself.

Nepo babies aren't the Democratic dark horses we need

..... While I'm not stoked about Schlossberg's social media strategy, I'm even less enthused by the prospect of another Kennedy leveraging his name to get a leg up on the competition.
..... New York politics are already rife with "nepo babies," those whose family members have also held office. Yvette Clarke and Grace Meng, two U.S. representatives from New York city, both have parents who were politicians.
..... Then there's Andrew Cuomo, the former governor and failed mayoral candidate whose father also served as New York governor in the 20th century.
..... This isn't just a New York thing - from Kentucky to Utah and from both major political parties, our country is run by people who benefited from a parent or uncle's success along the way. I mean, just look at the Bushes or the Roosevelt. It's a problem as old as the country itself. I fail to see why someone's name should matter more than their qualifications. That's not to say all children of politicians should stay out of politics, but they must show their constituents that they are prepared to do the work. They should start their political careers from the ground up. We scoff at nepo babies on television and in music, so why don't we hold the same standards when it comes to politics?
..... The other problem is that nepo babies, when they decide to follow the family legacy, tend to suck all the air out of the room. For example, The Times wrote two stories on Schlossberg when he announced his candidacy; everyone else just got one. When the children and grandchildren of important political figures talk, people tend to listen.

A qualified candidate might also be worth considering

..... Schlossberg and social media savvy to become a Democratic strategist. He clearly understands what gets people to pay attention, for better or worse, and i think he could be useful within the party hierarchy with some training.
..... Instead, he is choosing to throw his hat into a very crowed ring to replace Nadler, a representative who announced his retirement with the intent of breathing new life into the Democratic party.
..... There are multiple candidates running in the 12th Congress ion District with decent resumes who would be right for the gig. There's Micah Lasher, 43, Nadler's protege, who has spent the past ear [2025] in the state Assembly. then there's Alex Bores, 34, on his second term in the Assembly after leaving his job as a software engineer, Most recently, :GBTQ+ activist and City councilman Erik Bottcher, 46, announced he was running.
..... None has the family legacy and social media fame that Schlossberg possesses.
..... Of course, the Kennedy name isn't what it use to be. in 2020 then-Representative Joe Kennedy III ran for Senator Ed Markey's seat in Massachusetts and lost. then Robert F Kennedy Jr. ran for president on a third-party line - only to drop out, endorse Trump and end up with a cabinet position for which he is deeply unqualified.
..... I think Schlossberge could be very useful to the Democratic Party somewhere behind the scenes, but a deep blue district should be cultivating public servants who have experience and ideas that push it into the next century - not just someone willing to be the face of the party. If Schlossberg becomes the Democratic nominee - and I doubt he will - he won't have earned it

..... Follow USA Today columnist Sara Pequeno on X, formerly Twitter:@saura_pequeno

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