Schwalbe Shows High Spirits After NY-12 Primary Loss

Nina Schwalbe, a public health expert, thanked her team and supporters after losing the NY-12 Democratic primary nomination, reflecting on her campaign as the ‘little engine that could.’

Schwalbe, who lost the primary election June 23 to NY Assemblyman Micah Lasher, won just over 7,000 votes securing 7 percent of the total vote when the race was called shortly after 10 p.m. While Schwalbe did not win the nomination, her staff and supporters cheered when it emerged she topped George Conway’s tally. Conway, a lawyer who for most of the race was considered one of the race’s four front-runners finished fifth pulled in about 6 percent in the unofficial tally, about 1,000 fewer votes than Schwalbe according to Eyewitness News.

“We just did this together,” Schwalbe said during her speech. “We are not backed by millionaires, no, we did it for sheer willpower and relentless volunteerism, and I am so proud to be part of this group.”

“I would like the volunteers to raise their hands again and give them a huge round of applause,” Schwalbe added. “So, onward. The next stop is president!”

Throughout her campaign, Schwalbe emphasized her experience in public health, working for the World Bank and the Biden-Harris administration, and her progressive values. Schwalbe’s campaign gained particular momentum in the last weeks before voting after a NY1 Democratic Primary debate after being excluded from previous media coverage of the other front-runner candidates — Lasher, Conway, Alex Bores, Jack Schlossberg — and a PIX11 debate.

In comparing campaigns, a “Nina for NYC” staff member described how Schwalbe’s run was substantially less funded than other candidates’ campaigns. According to a financial report, over $40 million was spent by outside contributors during the congressional race between the candidates, making it one of the most expensive races in the city. Schwalbe’s campaign, who did not use money from PACs, cost roughly $400,000 and relied greatly on grassroots volunteers.

Chandra Bozelko, who ran press for “Nina for NYC,” said she was inspired in Schwalbe’s ability to gain support despite limited funds and media coverage.

“It’s a wonderful commentary on her ability to convince people, that she could do the job for them in Washington,” Bozelko told Straus News. “It’s also a very sad commentary about the effect of citizens United and what it’s done to politics.”

Bozelko said the NY1 debate swayed voters for Schwalbe and commented on how the campaign could have been different.

“It was what we were telling so many reporters and editors all along is that, ‘Look, this is really someone who is being taken seriously,’ so that actually cemented it for us,” Bozelko said. “If she had had more mainstream press coverage, I think things would have changed, if she had more money, things would have changed, but it was a lesson.”

Throughout the night, supporters of Schwalbe embraced and cheered for each other at a small watch party at Craft + Carry on W 82 Street and Amsterdam Ave. A highlight of the night was when Schwalbe overtook Conway.

Nick Gottlieb, Schwalbe’s campaign manager, said volunteers and supporters came to work for her campaign because of the values she represents.

“I’m not gonna say that it’s been fun every day, but it’s been amazing, and it’s been interesting, and it’s been inspiring every day,” Gottlieb said at the watch party. “Nina is a frigging force of nature, Nina is brilliant, Nina is tenacious, Nina does not give up. She’s a pain in the ass and Nina is the reason that we have all done what we have done, and that we have all gone the extra mile.”

Jianna Chalhoub, who originally volunteered for Schlossberg’s campaign before joining “Nina for NYC” as a volunteer, said she was inspired by Schwalbe’s background in public health.

“She was talking about how she was the only woman in the race at the time, and she wasn’t on the stage, and I remember thinking, ‘Oh, my God, this is everything that I’ve wanted in a candidate,’” Chalhoub told Straus News. “The first thing she mentioned was racial disparities in health care and I’m a woman of color with chronic health issues, and I had never heard someone in politics so accurately know what I’ve been through and care about it as well.”

Chalhoub said Schwalbe’s campaign run represents a shift in NYC politicians after Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s win last year.

Though she did not do so in her concession speech, Schwalbe in a later press release, congratulated Micah Lasher and thanked her opponents for their work in the race.