A conservative lawyer who went to Harvard Law School with one of her Democratic opponents is throwing her hat into the race to replace retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler in one of New York City’s most liberal congressional districts.
Caroline Shinkle, 33, filed to run in New York’s 12th Congressional District, which stretches across both sides of Manhattan from Times Square and the Midtown business district up to Museum Mile.
“I’m in it to win it. I’m here to provide voters a real choice on the ballot,” Shinkle told The New York Post. “We’re fighting to preserve Manhattan and New York City.”
Shinkle holds degrees from MIT and Harvard Law School, where she was a classmate of fellow candidate Jack Schlossberg, grandson of former President John F. Kennedy. She spent time in Jerusalem working for the Bank of Israel during her time at MIT, and called herself a strong supporter of Israel as some Democratic activists and politicians have turned against America’s chief ally in the Middle East.
The Manhattan GOP was expected to endorse Shinkle this week, and state Conservative Party Chairman Jerry Kassar said his party also plans to back her. Five other Republicans have filed paperwork to run, according to federal filings, though it is unclear whether they can mount serious campaigns.
Shinkle drew a sharp contrast with the Democratic field — which includes apparent frontrunner Micah Lasher, a state assemblyman backed by Nadler himself, as well as Schlossberg, Trump antagonist George Conway, and a string of progressive activists — and aimed direct fire at New York’s new far-left Democratic socialist mayor, Zohran Mamdani.
“We have a mayoral administration captivated by radical ideologies and a congressional delegation focused on obstruction rather than delivery,” Shinkle said. “I am running to be the common-sense antidote to the policies that have made our streets less safe and our city unaffordable for the people who work for a living.”
New York is suffering from “a crisis of competence,” she said.
Shinkle said she would push to abolish federal income taxes on W-2 wages — arguing “the government has to shrink” — and would exempt interest on student loan repayments from taxation. On illegal immigration, she vowed to prioritize secure borders to end what she called an undocumented migrant crisis that has strained the city’s budget.
“While others focus on ‘The Resistance,’ I will focus on results,” Shinkle said. “I refuse to be a passive spectator to our city’s decline.”
Nadler, 78, announced last September he would not seek reelection for an an 18th term. He was first elected to Congress in 1992. The Cook Political Report rates the district D+33, making it the ninth most Democratic district in the country.
The Democratic primary is set for June 23, 2026, with the general election on November 3.
GOP lawyer enters race to replace Rep. Jerry Nadler in deeply blue NYC district Republican Caroline Shinkle, a corporate lawyer with degrees from MIT and Harvard Law, is throwing her hat in the ring for the congressional seat in House District 12 being v… https://t.co/CFLd2ENBO2 pic.twitter.com/1PrMPI1Inc
— NahBabyNah (@NahBabyNahNah) February 23, 2026