Caroline Kennedy is reportedly alarmed that her son, Jack Schlossberg, could become "a target for violent haters" as he launches a bid for Congress.
The 32-year-old Harvard-educated Schlossberg announced Tuesday that he will run for the Democratic nomination in New York's 12th Congressional District for the seat being vacated by retiring Democrat Rep. Jerry Nadler.
Sources told the New York Post that Kennedy is worried that the current political climate is too dangerous for her only son.
"Caroline has pleaded with Jack not to run, but he seems determined to follow in the political footsteps of his grandfather and generations of other Kennedys who have held political office," one source told the outlet.
Schlossberg is the only grandson of former President John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated on Nov. 22, 1963, during a motorcade in Dallas, Texas.
That tragic family history is reportedly the reason Kennedy is "living in fear" following her son's decision to enter the race.
"Jack's decision to throw his hat in the ring has seriously frightened Caroline, who believes the political world has become too dangerous, too frightening, too crazy, and so she doesn't want her only son ... running for elective office in the current toxic environment," a close source told the Post.
Nadler, 78, announced his retirement in September, saying it was the "right time to pass the torch to a new generation."
On his campaign website, Schlossberg said that "[e]ach generation of Americans is tested" and declared that the 2026 midterm elections are "our moment."
"I'm running for Congress because the best part of the greatest city on earth needs to be heard loud and clear in Washington and deserves a representative who won't back down," it reads on the site.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., gave Schlossberg a stamp of approval in August when he tapped the Kennedy heir to sit on the committee planning America's 250th birthday celebration.
"Why am I putting Jack there? We know that Donald Trump will try to aggrandize the whole thing and make it part of him and his ego," Schumer said in a video posted to social media. "There's no better person to push back on that than you, Jack."
Schlossberg has mocked his cousin Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s spasmodic voice disorder in the past and recently posted a fake Halloween costume on his Instagram that mocked the Health and Human Services secretary as "MAHA Man," using the acronym for RFK Jr.'s "Make America Healthy Again" movement.
The fake costume's description said it came with "measles, sexual assault and ‘ending cancer research.'"
In February, RFK Jr.'s daughter Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy told the Post she hoped her second cousin "gets the help he needs."
Citing a family source, the Post reported that another concern "weighing heavily on Caroline" is the rampant antisemitism in America and how it could impact her son's political run.
Kennedy's husband, Edwin Schlossberg, is Jewish.
Thus far, three other candidates have officially jumped into the Democratic primary race, including former software engineer and state Assemblyman Alex Bores, state Assemblyman Micah Lasher, and Invisible Hands nonprofit founder Liam Elkind.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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