Jack Schlossberg: America’s golden boy runs for Congress

From a young age, Jack Schlossberg has been in the spotlight of American culture. As the grandson of former President and America’s former sweetheart, John F. Kennedy and the son of Caroline Kennedy, it seems hard not to be. On top of that, he has gained 862.6K followers on TikTok and 18.6 million likes. Which means it was big news when the 32-year-old announced his run for New York’s 12th Congressional District last month.

Schlossberg, who was born and raised in New York and also into an iconic American Dynasty. The Kennedy’s have long ruled the American political scene for decades, most notably former President and Congressman John F. Kennedy (Schlossberg’s Grandfather), former US Ambassador to Australia Caroline Kennedy (Schlossberg’s Mother), former US Attorney General Robert Kennedy (Schlossberg’s Great Uncle), and current United States Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert Kennedy Jr. (Schlossberg’s cousin) just to name a few.

It was only a matter of time before Schlossberg, Yale and Harvard Alumni, would run for some sort of office. Throughout his years in the spotlight, he has worked with many other politicians, as his website states: “He served as a surrogate for both President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential campaigns.” Schlossberg also gained attention when speaking at the 2024 Democratic National Convention as a delegate from New York. In 2024, Schossberg became Vogue’s political correspondent, providing him with a larger platform than ever before.

The candidate is running on a platform of uniting the broken bonds between citizens and government and bringing together, not only New Yorkers, but Americans, to protect the values that make our country great. Additionally, Schlossberg hopes to usher affordable housing to the already high $5,000 average rent in his district (Manhattan) and to all Americans. Schlossberg has long been an advocate for change, bringing new and fresh ideas that reflect his youthful personality. This has caught the attention of Republicans, who believe that Schlossberg is too radical and naïve to run for office.

However, on the topic of his youthful personality, it’s hard not to see the humor he brings into politics. In a TikTok that has garnered over 5.8 million views, Schlossberg sings “Drops of Jupiter” while confessing his love on the streets of New York City, jokingly to Usha Vance, the Second Lady of the United States. Additionally, he has created a chain of TikToks messages to Vice President JD Vance, all starting with a simple “Hey JD.” One such video features Schlossberg talking about a blow-up unicorn named after Vance while in front of a reproductive rights bus, urging him not to take away reproductive rights for all. Another features him “whining” to Vance about how the Vice President wants people with more kids to have more votes, but that he isn’t ready to have kids, even asking “JD… will you be my dad?” His humorous content, mixed with serious messaging, makes politics for younger generations more digestible and interesting. As you scroll through his feed, you can watch him sing The Lumineers’ “Ho Hey” at one moment and then diss his cousin, RFK Jr.’s, policy in the next. Junior Camryn Juncaj admitted, “Whenever his TikToks come across my feed, they always entertain me, something a lot of politicians can’t do.”

Schlossberg overall balances a youthful, dynamic perspective in a government of conservatism, while also bringing in tradition with a classic Ivy League education and belonging to decades-long political dynasty. It seems that he is the full package: good looking, intellectual, and able to win over any crowd… almost like his Grandpa JFK. Will Schlossberg become the new golden child of the Kennedy family? Senior Kai Wells thought, “especially with his involvement in social media and being a youth in politics, he draws in a new generation of politics.” While the election is not until November 2026, it will be interesting to see his take on running for Congress and on how to win over voters in the constantly changing “city that never sleeps.”