Campaigns & Elections
In NY-12, candidates are contending with Jack Schlossberg’s ‘Love Story’ factor
Schlossberg himself seems torn about how to handle the wildly popular show that fictionalizes the last years of his famous uncle’s life.
Jack Schlossberg, left, is running for Congress as the public revisits the story of his uncle, John F. Kennedy Jr., right. JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images, Bettmann/Getty Images
Politics and pop culture are colliding as a juggernaut TV show about John F. Kennedy Jr. and his wife Carolyn Bessette coincides with the real-life congressional campaign of Kennedy Jr.’s nephew and look-alike Jack Schlossberg.
Schlossberg himself has criticized the Ryan Murphy-produced show, calling it “a grotesque display of someone else’s life.” But he seems to be catching on to the fact that the drama series, which is breaking its network FX’s streaming records, is a boon to his image and his chances at victory in a crowded congressional primary in New York’s 12th Congressional District.
“I want to be sensitive to the fact that he doesn't approve of the show, but I do think when we talk about politics and pop culture that this enhances him as a candidate,” said political influencer Skye Ostreicher, who lives in the district. “Jack is being shaped by a cultural narrative that he may not have control over when it comes to the show,” Ostreicher continued. “And that's ironic because his own (uncle) understood best with George magazine that culture shapes politics.”
“Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette,” has reawakened America’s obsession with the Kennedy family and restored a sense of glamor to the family divided by the controversial elevation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. It traces the courtship of JFK Jr. and New York City “it” girl Carolyn Bessette, who married in 1996 and died in a plane crash in 1999 off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard.
Viewers are going wild romanticizing the relationship and the era the show is depicting. Fans are styling outfits after the couple, heading to the restaurant where the show set their first date and most recently hosting a JFK Jr. look-a-like contest in Washington Square Park.
Some fans have found their way to Schlossberg’s campaign, attending his fundraisers, collecting signatures, and remarking on the resemblance between Schlossberg and his famous uncle, as The Times of London recently reported.
Schlossberg faces Assembly Members Alex Bores and Micah Lasher as well as prominent Trump critic George Conway, public health researcher Nina Schwalbe, lawyer Laura Dunn and others, in the Democratic primary for the Manhattan seat being vacated by Rep. Jerry Nadler. We only have a partial picture of recent polling in the district, but toplines from a Conway campaign poll and from an anti-Bores super PAC poll showed Schlossberg in the lead at this early stage. Lasher and Bores have received the most prominent endorsements so far.
“I think it's telling that much of the conversation around (Schlossberg’s) candidacy sort of keeps revolving around (the) television show, his family’s wealth, legacy, privilege, celebrity and not the actual issues facing New Yorkers, facing people in the district,” said media strategist Tyrone Stevens, who previously worked for Lasher ally Scott Stringer. “When people really have to focus on this campaign I think all of this noise will fade and (they can) hone in on what's the substance here.”
Alyssa Cass, a communications aide on Bores’ campaign, concurred. "The show is doing more for voters' awareness of Jack Schlossberg than anything Jack Schlossberg has done,” she said in a statement. “It’s a beautiful tribute to his family. It's also a flashing neon sign that Jack Schlossberg's most compelling credential is his family tree.”
Schlossberg and his campaign team didn’t comment for this story, but they have apparently taken notice of the show's popularity and influence. On March 10, The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon posted on Instagram, the talk show host dressed up as JFK Jr. riding on a bike, captioned, “The ‘JFK Jr. Effect’ has reached The Tonight Show #FallonTonight #LoveStory.”
Schlossberg commented, “Would love to come on and talk about JACK for NEW YORK my campaign !! Thanks Jimmy.”