Jack Schlossberg has laughed off reports that his friends want to set him up with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Schlossberg, 33, the grandson of President John F. Kennedy, told The Post on Monday that the newly single congresswoman, 36, was far beyond his reach. “I respect her a lot — she can do way better than me!” he said. The exchange came after the Daily News reported that pals of the failed Manhattan congressional candidate have been trying to arrange a meeting with the Democratic darling to help him recover from his June electoral defeat.
The same friends harbor a secondary hope, according to the report: that a connection to Ocasio-Cortez might at least land Schlossberg a position in her New York office. Schlossberg, who won just 10% of the vote in his primary bid, has reportedly retreated to his family’s Martha’s Vineyard home to process the loss. He publicly declared in June that he is searching for a “soulmate.”
Sources familiar with both Democrats pushed back against Schlossberg’s self-deprecating assessment. “Those two would actually get along great together,” one insider told The Post. “They believe government is a force of good. They’d at least be good friends.”
The would-be matchmakers may have spotted genuine common ground. Both Schlossberg and Ocasio-Cortez have built substantial Instagram followings, using the platform to offer voters windows into their personal lives. Their political paths intersect through family history: Ocasio-Cortez interned in the office of Schlossberg’s uncle, the late Senator Ted Kennedy, while she studied at Boston University.
Timing, too, has aligned the two. Ocasio-Cortez’s separation from longtime fiancé Riley Roberts has drawn headlines, with reasons for the split remaining undisclosed. Schlossberg’s own romantic availability is already public knowledge following his June declaration.
The congresswoman has recently telegraphed her dating standards. She said that Republican affiliation would constitute a major romantic dealbreaker, a threshold Schlossberg comfortably clears. Yet he dismissed the setup speculation entirely when approached by The Post.
“What a silly story,” he said of the dating claims.
Schlossberg’s June primary defeat marked a stark setback for a candidate carrying one of American politics’ most famous surnames. His 10% showing fell well short of expectations for a Kennedy scion seeking office in a Democratic stronghold. The retreat to Martha’s Vineyard has kept him largely out of public view since the loss, with Monday’s comments to The Post representing a rare resurfacing.
Ocasio-Cortez, meanwhile, has continued her congressional work while navigating the unwelcome attention to her changed relationship status. The progressive icon first rose to national prominence with her 2018 primary upset and has since become one of her party’s most recognizable figures.
Whether Schlossberg’s friends persist in their matchmaking efforts remains to be seen. The Kennedy heir’s public demurral suggests he would not welcome their continued intervention, however well-intentioned.