The race to replace outgoing Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) in New York’s 12th Congressional District involves five candidates who engaged in a second debate this week.
The contenders include assassinated U.S. President John F. Kennedy’s grandson Jack Schlossberg, former Palantir data scientist and New York state assemblyman Alex Bores, former Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway’s ex-husband George Conway, New York state assemblyman Micah Lasher, and global public health expert Nina Schwalbe.
Nadler was chairman of the House Judiciary Committee from 2019 to 2023 and is retiring after more than two decades in Congress.
The debate took place at the Nagelberg Theater in Baruch College in Manhattan.
Conway depicted himself as a reluctant candidate who, if elected, will only serve one term.
“I'm a lawyer,” Conway said. “I spent 30 years practicing law in this district. I was never intending to be a politician. I never was a politician. I've never run for public office before and I don't intend to do so any again.”
The primary takes place on June 23 and the 12th Congressional District spans Manhattan's Upper East and West sides, Hell's Kitchen, Union Square, Times Square, and reaches downtown to Chelsea.
Schwalbe highlighted the fact that she is a mother and cast herself as a fixer and insurgent who does not have the formal backing of the Democratic Party.
“From vaccines to abortion, science to SNAP [Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program], we're losing our democracy and the systems that keep us safe,” she said. “We have children with measles in New York. When we have measles in public health, it's a flashing red warning sign that our systems are failing.”
Schlossberg used his youth to emphasize that he is a new generation politician. The 33-year-old has a social media audience of more than 1.7 million followers across platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
“I'm a young man who is inspired by politics and history,” he said. “The only answer to the dark moments in our political history in the past has been to galvanize the energy, faith, optimism of a new generation of Americans with new ideas and new freshness.”
Lasher positioned himself as the institutional heavyweight by mentioning his political endorsements, which include Nadler, Gov. Kathy Hochul, and former presidential candidate and ex-New York City mayor Mike Bloomberg.
Lasher's legislative record includes sponsoring legislation that would implement tougher penalties for bad landlords to combat tenant harassment, and establishing 25-foot buffer zones around reproductive healthcare facilities and houses of worship.
“They know I'm the best candidate not just to represent the needs of this district, but our progressive values,” he said of the high-powered endorsements. “I'm running for Congress to push the Democratic Party to be a more effective fighting force against Donald Trump and to fight for a city that all of our children can afford to build a future in.”
Assemblyman Bores, who worked as a computer scientist, portrayed himself as a champion of the working class.
His legislative record includes the Responsible AI Safety and Education (RAISE) Act, which was signed into law in December 2025.
“Everyone's going to promise to fight Donald Trump, but I'm the only one that terrifies his mega donors,” Bores said. “They're spending $10 million to beat me. Who's depending on me? The teachers, the nurses, the firefighters, every LGBTQ group that's endorsed me in this race because they know I'll fight for them.”
The RAISE Act requires companies to disclose serious incidents, such as if a dangerous AI model is stolen by a malicious actor or is behaving in a dangerous way.