Kennedy scion Jack Schlossberg finished third in the New York congressional primary

Jack Schlossberg is the son of Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg, the only grandchild of President John F. Kennedy, and the nephew of the late JFK Jr. Jack is 33 years old and he decided last year that he would run for Congress in New York. He got some national attention because of his name and his family, sure, but the few times I paid attention to him, he did NOT sound ready for primetime. When he was asked about Love Story: Carolyn Bessette & JFK Jr., his convoluted answer was absolutely crazy. Still, people expected him to at least make it through the Democratic primary. He didn’t.

Backstage at a darkened, half-filled club in midtown Manhattan, Caroline Kennedy tried to appear cheerful Tuesday night, even as it became clear that her son, Jack Schlossberg, would fall far short in his bid to win a House seat.

“I think he’s done a great job,” Ms. Kennedy about her son, praising his passion and eloquence, adding that she believed he had not regretted his candidacy. “He just said he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he didn’t try. Because he’s so worried about what’s happening.”

Minutes earlier, the audience — perhaps a hundred supporters, many young and some outside the New York City district Mr. Schlossberg had hoped to represent — sat mostly quiet as Mr. Schlossberg rushed through a short speech and read from a stack of papers. He joked about his age, led a sing-song of “Let’s go, Jack” and nodded to perhaps the most famous quote from his grandfather, John F. Kennedy.

“We didn’t all ask what our country can do,” Mr. Schlossberg said as he concluded his speech, “and what we can do to help our city.”

He didn’t concede in his speech, and he still hadn’t by the end of the night. But the results were clear: Mr. Schlossberg would not go to the congress.

For a first-time candidate, Mr. Schlossberg seemingly had it all: a scion of the Kennedy family, once America’s most famous political brand. Young and handsome, much like his grandfather, progenitor of Camelot. He was well-connected, earned endorsements from Democratic royalty like former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and old-money rich, able to pour his own fortune into a campaign he said was partly about the evils of money in politics. And at a time when Democrats have often played catch-up with Republicans online, Mr. Schlossberg had a vibrant presence on social media, presenting a strange and decidedly opinionated persona who commanded attention every time he posted.

When early polls showed him ahead of a crowded field of candidates in New York City’s 12th Congressional District, the race appeared to be Mr. Schlossberg’s loss. Turns out he lost it. Once considered a favorite, Mr. Schlossberg, 33, finished third in a Democratic primary in one of the nation’s most liberal districts, now held by Representative Jerrold Nadler, the veteran Democrat who is retiring. Micah Lasher, an assemblyman who had been endorsed by Mr. Nadler, won the primary.

(From the NY Times)

The NYT asked if Jack’s defeat is a bellwether for the loss of the Kennedy family’s influence in politics, or if it’s more about the current (Trump-dominated) political climate. But the Times also points out that Schlossberg ran a chaotic, nonsensical primary campaign that alienated a lot of Democratic voters. I think it’s good for our country and the state of modern/local politics that a Kennedy scion can’t just waltz into a primary and immediately have everything handed to them. It’s also a shame for the Kennedy family – if Jack had run a more sober, mature campaign, he probably could have been a budding political superstar. I doubt Caroline Kennedy is that upset though – the last thing she wants is a son in politics.

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