Micah Lasher Clinches NY-12 Democratic Nomination in Crowded Race

The tight Democratic primary race for New York’s 12th Congressional District came to a decisive end on June 23, as establishment-backed Assembly member Micah Lasher rose above a crowded list of candidates to secure the nomination.

The district, which roughly stretches from 14th Street to 110th Street, has historically been a solidly Democratic district, meaning that Lasher will have a clear shot to succeed Rep. Jerrold Nadler when he faces Republican opponent Caroline Shrinkle on November 3.

“The 12th District is not just any district,” Lasher said during his victory speech. “This is a district that changes history.”

This race was nothing short of the district’s reputation. The primary drew nationwide attention for its high-profile list of candidates, including Kennedy heir Jack Schlossberg, Republican turned Trump-critic George Conway, and Big Tech critic and East Side Assembly member Alex Bores.

Other candidates in the race were public health leader Nina Schwalbe, civil rights attorney Laura Dunn, software engineer Chris Diep, and lawyer Patrick Timmins.

In the end, the race predictably came down to Lasher and Bores, who represent the West and East sides, respectively. As votes came in, close margins appeared to be setting up a long night. But Lasher soon began to pull away, and the Associated Press called the race shortly after 10 p.m.

The jubilant crowd at Lasher’s watch party at Jacob’s Pickles on the Upper West Side erupted with cheers, jumped up and down, and chanted “Micah! Micah! Micah!”

Lasher acknowledged his fellow candidates’ efforts, saying, “The competition of the primary met the standard of this district.”

By 10:13, Bores was delivering his concession speech. “First, I’d like to congratulate Micah Lasher on his victory,” a subdued Bores told his supporters, who had gathered at the Friedland Hotel on Lexington Ave. When a single person in the back of the room started to boo, Bores quickly shut them down with a laugh.

A total of $27 million was spent by super PACs on the race, making it one of the most expensive Congressional races in New York history. Despite the vicious ads super PACs paid for attacking each other, both seemed to be taking the high road on primary night.

“Micah has spent his career dedicated to public service, and he’ll continue that legacy in Congress from this district,” Bores said.

Lasher’s candidacy received support from several high-ranking establishment figures, many of whom were in attendance, including City Comptroller Mark Levine, Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal, and incumbent Nadler.

“I want to thank you for electing a worthy successor, who I believe will carry on the work I’ve been doing,” Nadler said.

Nadler has held the seat for 34 years and has been a prominent figure in the Democratic Party, setting up an influential legacy for Lasher to follow. Lasher acknowledged Nadler’s work and addressed this in his own speech.

“When I worked for him, Jerry taught me so much about what leadership entails—vision, compassion, and how to canvass voters outside Zabar’s,” Lasher said to a laughing crowd.

Gov. Kathy Hochul, who also endorsed Lasher, surprised attendees with her appearance. Lasher served as Hochul’s Director of Policy when she first came into office. During her speech, she joked about the overwhelming number of ideas he came in with.

“But his ideas are brilliant,” Hochul said. “And you know what? They became reality.”

Reviving the Democratic Party

If the race was boiled down to priorities in relation to the Democratic Party—with Conway focused on impeaching Trump, Schlossberg focused on making it cool again, and Bores focused on reining in A.I. companies—Lasher’s is best summed up by his drive to reinstate confidence in Democrats.

At the beginning of his victory speech, Lasher brought up the two objectives he said he would bring to Congress when he began his campaign: “Revamp and recharge a Democratic Party in Washington that has in so many ways failed to meet the moment, and help transform it into the opposition party it must be.”

According to the Pew Research Center, only 36 percent of Democrats feel their party is doing a good job at pushing back at President Donald Trump’s agenda.

The current state of Congress has added some difficulty with this, as Republicans hold a majority in both the Senate and the House. Political observers think it will be difficult to take back the Senate, where Republicans have a sturdier lead. However, the nonpartisan political media organization VoteHub gives Democrats a 71% chance at taking back the House, where they only need to flip three seats.

“I think we need to draw up a battle plan for what it’s gonna look like to be in the House majority, particularly on oversight and investigations, and how we’re gonna articulate an affirmative legislative agenda that people can believe in again,” Lasher told Straus News on how he plans to revive the Democratic Party.

Message to A.I.-backed Super PACs

The race also drew controversy for the amount of A.I.-focused super PAC money funneled into the race.

Bores, who previously worked for Palantir, drew A.I. companies’ attention with his pro-regulation stance. One super PAC, Public First Action, spent around $11 million in support of Bores. Public First Action is linked to the A.I. company Anthropic, which has pushed for regulation around the technology.

On the flip side, Bores was also the subject of the most attack ads in the race. The super PAC Leading the Future spent $8 million in opposition to him. Leading the Future has been linked with Trump-aligned leaders in tech, including investor Marc Andreessen, Open A.I. co-founder Greg Brockman, and Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale.

Though not funded by A.I. companies, Lasher also received funding from the super PAC Stand For New York, funded solely by former mayor Mike Bloomberg, who endorsed Lasher.

Lasher made a signal to distance himself from the A.I. companies and disprove their efforts in his speech.

“I have some news for the two big A.I. companies who’ve taken such an unusual interest in who won this congressional seat,” Lasher said. “I won’t be taking my cues from either of you when it comes to protecting our kids, our jobs, our environment.”

A ‘Nerd’ Can In Fact Win

In rethinking their strategy, some Democrats have proposed that the party doesn’t connect with voters because it isn’t ‘cool’ enough, an idea Schlossberg’s campaign resonated with.

However, Lasher, who describes his brand as ‘nerd,’ refused to bend to this. As it turned out, nerd was the way to go, and the crowd at Jacob’s Pickles was more than happy to celebrate a win for the brainiac brand.

“As somebody said — it’s great to have a nerd win,” council member Gale Brewer told Straus News.

However, reservations on whether Lasher’s brand is best highlight another national trend taking place in the background.

As an anti-establishment stance sweeps through parts of the Democratic Party, some strategists are wondering whether candidates with unconventional backgrounds may be better at grabbing independent voters’ support.

With voters’ overwhelming support for Lasher and Bores, though, the district sent a clear message that in these uncertain times, they are looking for candidates they can rely on.

“They said that a policy wonk couldn’t win an election, and we showed them that he can,” Levine said. “They said that experience doesn’t matter anymore in Democratic politics, and you showed them that it does.”