NY-12 Candidates Take on Key Issues, Trump in Panel at 92NY

Four contenders jockeying to win the NY-12 congressional race’s Democratic primary came together on Wednesday, April 15, to make their case for why they were the best person to take up the mantle of Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-Manhattan), who will retire in 2027.

The dueling politicians—Jack Schlossberg, George Conway, State Assemblyman Micah Lasher, and State Assemblyman Alex Bores—remained generally agreeable throughout the forum, held at 92NY and hosted by NY1’s Errol Louis, looking to both define themselves against President Donald Trump and prove their grasp of local needs such as housing affordability and energy policy.

All four men have raised at least a million dollars for their candidacies and have received at least 7 percent support in a poll, Louis explained, which were the criteria for getting an invitation to the conversation.

There are at least six other candidates vying to win the same Democratic primary for the House of Representatives role in June, five candidates in the corresponding GOP primary, and four independents running in the general election in November.

NY-12 encompasses a wide section of the borough, as Nadler’s website makes clear. It roughly runs from around 14th St. in Lower Manhattan to around 96th St., from the FDR Drive on the East Side to Riverside Drive on the West Side.

Bores, who currently represents the Upper East Side in Albany, instantly addressed an unavoidable barrage of negative ads that have been flung his way by a SuperPAC seeking favorable AI policy; Bores recently passed a state bill that seeks to establish safety guardrails for the growing technology.

“I’ve passed 30 bills in the State Assembly, which is about the same [as the U.S.] Congress as a whole passed in 2023. When you deliver real results, you make real enemies,” Bores said. “As anyone in our neighborhood can attest, the mailers, the TV ads, the texts...are coming from three Trump megadonors.”

George Conway, a lawyer and activist, notably mentioned the tug-of-war with the Trump administration over federal funding for the Gateway Project—which would connect North Bergen, New Jersey, with Penn Station.

This was, he said, due to “corruption” at the federal level. Conway would return to that term and to the notion of an unresponsive government throughout the evening, arguing that local self-rule was being greatly hampered by the White House.

At various points, the contenders seemed to agree on the solutions for local problems. Affordable living for New York City residents, candidates such as Lasher and Bores said, was being put out of reach by a lack of adequate housing supply.

Lasher, who represents the Upper West Side in the State Assembly, pointedly stated that “there is a great deal more that the federal government can do to push states and localities to engage in that kind of housing supply policy action.”

Conway appeared to challenge Lasher on that point. President Trump would “not in your life” sign into law a housing supply bill, he said, again returning to the corruption theme. Therefore, Conway implied, impeaching the president would be a direct boon for local housing development.

The conversation then briefly pivoted to impeaching Trump, with Lasher noting that while he wants Trump impeached, it would be impossible. Schlossberg disagreed.

“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to impeach and remove President Trump,” Schlossberg said, noting that just because it may be difficult, it doesn’t mean Democrats should give up on the idea.

”We should do hard things,” he said.

Later, Bores pointed out that Trump agreed with Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s request to collaborate on a housing development in Queens, namely via presenting him with a fake Daily News copy that flattered the president, telling Conway that “maybe you can use his ego to get him to build.”

Schlossberg, a Democratic influencer and the only grandson of the late President John F. Kennedy Jr., made an interesting digression by promising to build more public housing—via Section 9—and push for repairs at current public housing stock. At the same time, he promised to push for a complete lifting (or repealing) of the SALT cap; this would provide a huge tax windfall for private homeowners.

Louis also asked about how recent antisemitic attacks in New York City affect NY-12, the most Jewish congressional district in America, as well as a trend of hate crimes targeting “Muslim, Black, immigrant and LGBTQ communities.”

“I grew up in this district, I’m very proud of my Jewish roots,” Schlossberg said. “I grew up learning about antisemitism as a lesson of history, and now it’s a present threat.” He promised to boost funding for security around houses of worship, whether “churches, mosques, synagogues, [or] temples.”

Lasher, who is also Jewish, echoed the point. He called for an increase of educational programming about antisemitism, including Holocaust education.

The primary for the NY-12 race will be held on June 23, with early voting set to take place between June 13 and June 21.