Kennedy heir Jack Schlossberg has hit back at his critics after being accused of running a lazy campaign for office. The 33-year-old grandson of President John F Kennedy is hoping to represent a large chunk of Manhattan and is in the running for the open House seat in New York's 12th Congressional District.
Insiders who spoke with The New York Times claim his bid for the congressional seat has been bogged down by bizarre behavior, absences and a high turnover in staff. Appearing on CNN, Schlossberg said: 'There's a lot in that article that's not true. I'm a decisive person and I run an operation that's nimble and small.' 'I work harder than anybody I know, we're doing it all and making it look easy.'
Aides said their concerns over Schlossberg's readiness for office were raised on the very first day of his campaign in November, after his high-priced staff lined up a series of media interviews and conversations with Democratic donors. Hours into his launch, Schlossberg reportedly abruptly canceled the plans and told his staff he was going to take a nap and left for the day.
Sources told the Times that the incident was emblematic of Schlossberg's immature behavior on the campaign trail, which they allege has continued throughout his run for office. Despite being the scion of one of America's most powerful political families, critics of Schlossberg say he has done little in his career to warrant a congressional seat.
Jorge Muniz Reyes, a canvassing coordinator, said he left the campaign a week ago due to Schlossberg's lack of community engagement, telling the Times that the candidate has run a campaign akin to a 'dollar-store flower bouquet.' Reyes said he grew frustrated with Schlossberg's apparent lack of interest in learning about the district he is running to represent, which encompasses much of midtown Manhattan and the Upper East and Upper West Sides. He compared the campaign to cheap flowers as 'the colors might be nice to look at for a few days... but since the flowers lack roots, they can't last very long.'
In the six months he has been running for office, Schlossberg has seen two campaign managers, two field directors and a number of consultants quit. Some critics have accused Schlossberg of mismanaging his own campaign, including one instance soon after he launched the bid for office last year. In November, he shared a message to his almost one million followers on Instagram, condemning President Trump's military moves in Venezuela and calling on Congress to step in. Aides to Massachusetts Democrat Seth Moulton told the Times they were stunned by how close Schlossberg's video message was to his, saying it was nearly identical.
According to the report, a representative for Schlossberg said he admitted to copying the video because he liked it, and he later added a credit to Moulton in his post. Responding to allegations that he has been erratic on the campaign trail, Schlossberg's current campaign manager, Paige Phillips, told the Times that he was campaigning 'amid a deeply, deeply personal tragedy' - the death of his sister Tatiana from cancer in December. 'If an anonymous source thought he "disappeared" at any point, they should remind themselves of that fact,' Phillips said. She added that she disagreed with accounts that Schlossberg was not engaged with his campaign, arguing that 'no one works harder, cares more, or shows up like Jack Schlossberg.' Phillips also did not dispute the allegations that he 'copied' Moulton, but hit back, 'It is hard to have a straight face and say Jack Schlossberg copies anyone on social media.'
Schlossberg's work experience includes a short stint as a political correspondent for Vogue, where he published six short pieces about US politics. A Vogue spokesman told the Times that he was considered a freelancer and not a staff writer. He also spent less than four months working at the State Department as an assistant to then-Secretary of State John Kerry, a friend of his family, and has cited his social media following as one of his credentials. In financial disclosure forms required by Congress, Schlossberg said he had no income in 2025 but disclosed trust funds and assets worth up to $32 million.
In response to the report about him avoiding campaigning to take naps, Schlossberg appeared to mock the allegations as he shared a picture on X on Thursday morning showing him falling asleep at a table. 'Needed a quick nap !! Even though I just woke up. Rest of the day / month wide open lmk if you wanna hang?' he captioned the post. 'Wait nvm changed my mind really busy can't make it.'
