Can Kennedy lineage and hype over ‘Love Story’ help send JFK’s grandson to Congress?
NEW YORK (AP) — As a Kennedy scion, Jack Schlossberg got outsized attention when he launched his congressional campaign in New York City late last year.
He was already a social media star — in part through his relentless attacks on his cousin, Trump administration heath secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — and had been bouncing around the national Democratic scene very much looking the part of a Kennedy heir.
Now, among a crowded field hoping to win a prized House seat in Manhattan, Schlossberg has another potential advantage no other candidate could dream of: a hit TV show about his family that’s renewed Kennedy clan fervor.
But even with the familial connections and the excitement over the show, “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette,” the 33-year-old grandson of former President John F. Kennedy insists the buzz is all organic.
“They don’t just like me because I’m a Kennedy. Ask them how they feel about RFK Jr.,” he said. “They like me because of my experience, my ideas and they trust me because they see what’s going on with their very own eyes.”
So far, one of the big criticisms of Schlossberg is that he’s never held public office, though he’s tried to spin that in his favor, casting himself an energetic, outsider candidate whose big online following proves that he can excite young voters and bring fresh ideas to Washington.
Despite Schlossberg’s thin political resume, his candidacy has received both attention and financial support, along with the endorsement of Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, long a Kennedy backer.
No love for ‘Love Story’
Schlossberg, whose full name is John Bouvier Kennedy Schlossberg, is no fan of the “Love Story” series, previously criticizing it as a cash grab at the expense of his famous family.
“I don’t watch much TV,” he said.
Nevertheless, lots of people did tune in and the series became a hit, stoking the enduring mystique of the Kennedy family, especially among a younger generation of new fans.
Spots where Schlossberg’s aunt and uncle dined and hung out have attracted viewers of the TV show, with leather-jacket-wearing women and button-down-and-tie guys lining up to get in. Not too long ago a crowd gathered in Washington Square Park for a JFK Jr. look-alike contest where young men donned suits, backward hats or rollerblades, attempting to mimic his style.
Also recreating JFK Jr.’s style is Schlossberg himself, copying one of his uncle’s best known looks — riding a bike in suit and tie and a backward cap and a heavy chain bicycle lock around his waist — in a photo on his campaign website, which was posted before the show’s debut.
But does the Kennedy family still have the juice to sway an election? George Arzt, a longtime Democratic political consultant in the city, isn’t too sure.
“I don’t think that gets you votes,” he said. “People will say ‘Who’s Schlossberg?’ And they’ll go ‘He’s the grandson of JFK.’ So? What’s that going to do for me?”
Schlossberg maintains people on the street are less interested in his family ties than his policies, including one that, if passed, would allow rent payments to be tax deductible.
He batted away criticism over his scant professional experience, noting a stint at the State Department’s environmental bureau, his joint law and business degree from Harvard and a handful of political opinion pieces he wrote for Vogue. He also cited his social media presence, which has at times been zany. In August, for example, he posted a video of himself in a blonde wig reading a letter that first lady Melania Trump wrote to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“I’m the only one who has engaged millions of people on a progressive and aggressive political message,” he said. “I’m not just an influencer who’s hawking products. I make informative videos.”
A crowded field
Schlossberg faces solid opposition in the June primary, which is usually the deciding contest in the safely Democratic district.
The district’s current representative, U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler, who is retiring, endorsed his former aide Micah Lasher, a state Assemblymember who’s spent his career working in New York politics and casts himself as a seasoned, serious candidate.
“The voters of this district are highly informed voters. They do their homework before they make their decisions,” he said.
State Assemblymember Alex Bores is also running and has racked up local endorsements, including support from former U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, who represented parts of the district for decades before it was redrawn and she lost her seat to Nadler.
George Conway, who was once married to former Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway before turning into a vocal antagonist of the president, hopped in the race earlier this year as a Democrat.
Conway, a lawyer who helped create the anti-Trump Lincoln Project, said he does think Schlossberg has a big advantage because of his family name and excitement around “Love Story.” But he believes voters will ultimately opt for someone who has more experience.
“There’s something very appealing about a young, fresh face and I think he’s very smart to play that up,” Conway said. “But I also think there’s something to be said for an older, experienced fresh face and that’s what I’m trying to be.”