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New Yorkers in a high-profile congressional district are being treated to a buffet of candidates to discuss around the Thanksgiving dinner table.
New York’s 12th Congressional District includes Times Square, Central Park, and the Upper East and West Sides. Rep. Jerrold Nadler represented the area in Congress for a whopping 17 terms, and his retirement has opened the floodgates for candidates ranging from seasoned politicians to a member of the Kennedy clan to a survivor of the Parkland mass shooting.
The full list of Democrats includes state Assemblymembers Micah Lasher and Alex Bores; Jack Schlossberg; City Councilmember Erik Bottcher; businessman Alan Pardee; attorney Laura Dunn; former WNYC host Jami Floyd; Parkland survivor and gun control advocate Cameron Kasky; and LGBTQ+ activist Matthew Shurka.
To gauge voters’ views of the panoply of candidates, Gothamist visited two key destinations in the district — Butterfield Market on the Upper East Side and Zabar’s on the Upper West — to ask voters who they liked, and whether they’d even heard of some of these would-be reps.
“Our government has turned into a gerontocracy in Congress and we need new ideas,” said June Eddy, 70, who was at Zabar’s with two friends visiting from New Orleans. She praised the recent retirements of Nadler and Rep. Nydia Velazquez.
“Looking for a good negotiator and just really a solid hands-on person,” Eddy said, adding she was looking for a representative who could help get money for the MTA.
On Wednesday, Liam Elkind, a 26-year-old community organizer campaigning on the need for a youth movement in politics, reportedly announced he was withdrawing from the race, citing the many younger candidates. His campaign did not respond to an inquiry.
Over at Butterfield Market, Elana Korbin, 45, didn’t have a preferred candidate — but knew what qualities she was looking for.
“Is one of these people supportive of Jewish voters? Because that’s who we’ll go for,” Korbin said as she sat with friends. She said she’d voted for Andrew Cuomo in the mayor’s race.
“I think we’re still just recovering from the last election,” she added.
Many of the shoppers who participated in Gothamist’s very informal poll said they knew of Schlossberg, a social media personality who is the 32-year-old grandson of President John F. Kennedy.
“I just know Jack,” said Rob Don, 33, while standing outside Butterfield Market in a coat that matched his dog.
“He talks a lot about corruption in government, and he's more of a progressive person.”
But not everyone was impressed with Schlossberg’s pedigree.
“I wish Schlossberg was not a Kennedy,” said Westsider Records owner Bruce Eder, 70, as he walked out of Zabar's. “To me, the family’s reputation has always been very inflated,” he added, arguing that some of the civil rights victories most closely associated with Kennedy were not achieved until Lyndon B. Johnson took office after his assassination.
For now, Eder said the most appealing candidate was Lasher, a close adviser to Nadler. But Eder was also intrigued by the prospect of anti-Trump conservative lawyer George Conway joining the fray. The New York Times reported Conway is considering relocating to the district, where he lived before moving to Washington, D.C. in 2017 when his then-wife Kellyanne Conway served in the Trump administration.
“ I don't know which party he would run in,” Eder said of Conway, noting Republicans might not want him and Democrats might not accept him. “He would be, to me, the most interesting candidate.”
If Conway were to run, his background in Republican circles could be a significant obstacle: The 12th District is one of the bluest (and wealthiest) districts in the country.
Not surprisingly, the Bores belt is on the UES.
“Alex Bores, he’s a great guy,” Jeff Danowitz, 82, said outside Butterfield Market. “Good family man. He’s done great work so far. Alex Bores is the guy. Period,” he said.
Bores is a first-term state legislator who has focused on artificial intelligence regulations. He’s also a new father who used video from his baby monitor as part of his congressional campaign launch video.
Some voters suggested adding even more candidates to the race.
“I always liked Scott Stringer,” said Harris Bulow, 47, outside Zabar’s on the West Side.
Stringer has said he’s not running, but also intoned against the “gerontocracy.”
“I believe that the next congressmember should fight like hell to continue Social Security,” Stringer told Gothamist in September. “It should not be a person who is on Social Security.”
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