Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is expected to formally endorse Jack Schlossberg, the grandson of President John F. Kennedy, on Sunday in his campaign for the Democratic nomination for a New York City House seat, according to three people familiar with her plans who spoke to The New York Times.
Schlossberg, the 33-year-old cousin of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is among several Democrats competing for the nomination in New York’s 12th Congressional District, an affluent Manhattan seat.
Currently representing California’s 11th district, Pelosi, 85, who is planning to retire from Congress next January, said in a statement reviewed byThe Times that Schlossberg’s candidacy would “help Democrats win nationwide.”
The endorsement has not yet been publicly announced, and those who discussed it with The Times did so on condition of anonymity. The Independent has contacted representatives for Pelosi and Schlossberg for comment.
In a brief interview cited by The Times, Schlossberg, an online political commentator, described Pelosi as “a hero” and said her support was “a shot of adrenaline,” comparing the feeling to when she famously tore up President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address during a previous term.
Schlossberg entered the race in November after Representative Jerry Nadler, 78, announced plans to retire following 34 years in Congress.
Nadler, a former chairman of the House Judiciary Committee who led two impeachment efforts against Trump, is expected to endorse his longtime ally Micah Lasher, a 44-year-old first-term state assemblyman.
A June primary win would likely secure Schlossberg the seat, positioning him as one of the youngest rising figures in New York politics since Trump’s return to the White House.
He faces competition from several Democrats, including state Assemblymember Alex Bores, journalist Jami Floyd and attorney George Conway.
Pelosi typically avoids intervening in primary races. Her support for Schlossberg echoes her past backing of another Kennedy family member, Joseph P. Kennedy III, during his 2020 Senate campaign, which he ultimately lost.
