Jerry Nadler served 34 years in Congress. His successor will be decided in a single June day, and the campaign to win that seat has turned into one of the most expensive Democratic primaries in New York.
Alex Bores and Micah Lasher, both state assembly members, have emerged as the frontrunners in New York’s 12th Congressional District primary. The election is set for June 23, 2026, and recent polling shows the two candidates running neck and neck in a race that has at least six contenders.
A crowded field with big names
Nadler announced his retirement in September 2025, opening up a seat that hasn’t been genuinely competitive in decades. The district, a deep-blue stronghold covering parts of Manhattan, isn’t the kind of place where the general election matters. Whoever wins the Democratic primary effectively wins the seat.
Beyond Bores and Lasher, the field includes George Conway, the conservative lawyer turned anti-Trump media figure, and Jack Schlossberg, the grandson of President John F. Kennedy.
