Longtime Dem incumbent's chosen successor wins crowded NYC primary as big-name rivals fall short
New York Assemblyman Micah Lasher won the Democratic primary Tuesday to replace retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler, defeating a crowded field that included anti-Trump lawyer George Conway, Kennedy family scion Jack Schlossberg and fellow New York State Assemblyman Alex Bores.
The race drew outsized attention because incumbent Rep. Jerry Nadler’s retirement created a rare open-seat contest in a Manhattan district he has represented for more than three decades, since 1992.
The crowded Democratic primary featured a mix of local elected officials and national names, including George Conway, a conservative attorney turned high-profile Trump critic who was formerly married to Kellyanne Conway, one of Trump’s top White House advisers during his first term.
It also featured a run from Jack Schlossberg, the grandson of former President John F. Kennedy, whose famous family name and large social media following brought national attention to the otherwise hyperlocal Manhattan primary.
Lasher also fended off a challenge from New York state lawmaker Alex Bores, whose campaign became a test case in the political power of the AI industry after the former computer engineer helped push New York’s RAISE Act, a state-level AI safety law aimed at forcing major developers to publish safety plans and disclose risks tied to the most powerful models.
His push for tougher AI guardrails drew heavy opposition from tech-aligned super PACs, which responded by pouring millions into the race against him, turning the Manhattan primary into a proxy war over whether states should be allowed to crack down on the rapidly growing industry.
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Lasher entered the race as the most obvious establishment heir to Nadler, drawing support from the retiring congressman and other major New York political figures. His win would suggest that local institutional backing still mattered in a race where several rivals had stronger national profiles.
Lasher previously worked for Nadler, Gov. Kathy Hochul and served as director of state legislative affairs under former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. He entered the race with support from all three, giving him significant backing from prominent New York Democrats.
Lasher will be heavily favored in November's general election in the solidly Democratic district, which includes some of Manhattan’s wealthiest and most liberal neighborhoods, including the Upper West Side, Upper East Side, Midtown and Chelsea.