Micah Lasher wins crowded, high-spending New York congressional primary

Micah Lasher won the Democratic primary for New York’s 12th Congressional District, securing the Manhattan seat long held by retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler after a race dominated by money, endorsements and questions about succession.

The result hands the district to a former Nadler aide who later served in the New York State Assembly, underscoring how often power in deep-blue urban districts passes through familiar Democratic networks. Nadler backed Lasher after 17 terms in Congress, and Lasher also won support from Gov. Kathy Hochul and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

The contest drew into the open a fight over whether long experience and institutional ties still carry the most weight in Manhattan Democratic politics. The field included Assemblymember Alex Bores, Jack Schlossberg, George Conway and Nina Schwalbe, turning the race into a crowded test of who could assemble the strongest coalition in an area split between the Upper West Side and Upper East Side.

AdImpact said $26 million was spent on ads in the NY-12 race, a level of spending that made it one of the most expensive congressional primaries in the country. Bloomberg spent millions in support of Lasher, adding to a campaign environment shaped by outside money, cross-endorsements and a steady push to define who would inherit Nadler’s seat.

Lasher’s victory pointed to a continued advantage for the Democratic establishment in a district that remains heavily Democratic and is expected to favor him in November. But it also reflected a recalibration in Manhattan politics, where candidates had to prove they could appeal to a newer coalition of voters while still fitting inside the party’s older power structure.

That tension ran through the campaign in a city and state where Democrats have been weighing how to confront Donald Trump, manage internal factional fights and choose successors who can hold together wealthy donors, progressive activists and longtime institutional allies. In New York’s 12th, Lasher emerged as the candidate most able to bridge that divide.