Destiny or Dynasty: Inside the new class of political nepo babies vying for power

A young member of the Kennedy dynasty with a thin résumé is seeking a seat in Congress. And he’s not alone among candidates who hope to keep their family name in politics. There is a slew of political heirs hoping voters see their legacies as leadership rather than nepotism.

Hollywood’s “nepo babies” took plenty of heat in 2022, when stars like Hailey Bieber and Zoë Kravitz were accused of finding success through their famous family names.

The phenomenon isn’t limited to Hollywood, and political nepotism is nothing new. Just look at former Presidents George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush (and now there’s another Bush on the ballot in 2026). Here’s a look at the next generation of political heirs running for office.

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Jack Schlossberg reacts during the presentation of the 2025 John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston, Massachusetts on May 4, 2025.  (Faith Ninivaggi/Reuters)

Jack Schlossberg

As former President John F. Kennedy’s only grandson, Jack Schlossberg is practically political royalty. But to New York City’s chronically online electorate, he is better known as the star of hundreds of satirical, and often absurd, viral videos, amassing close to 850,000 TikTok followers and nearly 770,000 on Instagram.

Despite the followers and the Kennedy connections, Schlossberg has a thin résumé. He most recently served as a political correspondent for Vogue during the 2024 presidential election.

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“I’m Jack Schlossberg, and my grandfather, President Kennedy, is my hero,” the candidate for New York’s 12th Congressional District said in a campaign text on the day of his launch, leaning into his Kennedy roots.

“To make the entire campaign about [being] from this super famous political dynasty with nothing else to offer is a choice,” Democratic commentator Kaivan Shroff, a 2016 Hillary Clinton campaign alum, told Fox News Digital.

Schlossberg was a Democratic National Committee delegate in 2024 and worked as a staff assistant at the U.S. Department of State in 2016. He is a graduate of Yale University and Harvard Law and Business Schools. Schlossberg is the son of former U.S. Ambassador Caroline Kennedy.

According to his LinkedIn, Schlossberg has worked for the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation for 12 years, first as chair of the New Frontier Award, and now as chair of the Profiles in Courage Award.

Former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her daughter Christine Pelosi hold “We Love Joe” signs as he speaks on the first day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, on Aug. 19, 2024.  (Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images)

Christine Pelosi

While the Kennedy heir is making his foray into elected office with a congressional run, House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi’s daughter, Christine Pelosi, announced a bid for local office this week.

The former House Speaker said last week that she will retire from Congress at the end of her term, teeing up a competitive Democratic primary in an already crowded race.

As Democratic state Sen. Scott Wiener is running to replace Pelosi’s congressional seat, her daughter is opting to run for Wiener’s open seat in 2028, or in a special election if he wins, rather than seek to fill her mother’s shoes in Congress.

While Schlossberg, at 32, jumped right into a congressional race, Shroff told Fox News Digital that “there is something humble” about Pelosi opting to run for local office first, especially when she would have had “huge, huge, huge advantages” given her mother’s campaign infrastructure.

Meanwhile, Shroff said the perception of Schlossberg’s congressional campaign reads like it’s “his inheritance to be a member of Congress” as a Kennedy.

Christine Pelosi is an author, Democratic campaign strategist, and attorney. She has chaired the California Democratic Party’s Women’s Caucus and is a longtime member of the Democratic National Committee.

Former President George W. Bush is embraced by House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., at an arrival service for former President George H.W. Bush as his body lies in state in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on Dec. 3, 2018, in Washington, D.C. (Jonathan Ernst-Pool/Getty Images)

Jonathan Bush

Last month, Jonathan Bush, nephew of the late H. W. Bush, launched a gubernatorial campaign in Maine to succeed term-limited Gov. Janet Mills, D-Maine.

Earlier this year, Bush founded a podcast and advocacy group called Maine for Keeps, which he describes as a “movement to ensure the American Dream is alive and well right here in Maine.”

A health-tech entrepreneur, Bush co-founded athenahealth in 1997 and served as its CEO until 2018, when he resigned following allegations of domestic violence and sexual harassment.

On the campaign trail, the Republican has described himself as a “disruptor” and “job creator,” highlighting his business background as evidence he can bring innovation to state government.

Bush is a member of one of the country’s most recognizable political dynasties, but this is his first time running for public office.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., speaks at a press conference with other Senate Democrats who voted to restore government funding, in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 9, 2025. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Stefany Shaheen

Political inheritance has its perks, but it can also mean family feuds spilling into the public eye.

Democratic congressional candidate Stefany Shaheen, who is running in a crowded primary for New Hampshire’s open U.S. House seat, is the daughter of Sen. Jeanne Shaheen.

The elder Shaheen, a former governor who is retiring next year rather than seeking re-election, was one of seven Democrats who voted with Republicans to end the government shutdown last week.

But the younger Shaheen said she “cannot support” the agreement, which was brokered in part by her mother, exposing the generational divide within the Democratic Party.

Shaheen is an entrepreneur and healthcare advocate, and it’s her first time running for public office.

Democratic congressional candidate Adelita Grijalva is interviewed in Tuscon, Arizona, on July 15, 2025.  (Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)

Adelita Grijalva

Rep. Adelita Grijalva, D-Ariz., was sworn into Congress this week. Earlier this year, she won the special election to replace her late father, longtime Rep. Raúl Grijalva, after he died in March.

While Grijalva had her father’s legacy on her side in the competitive special election for Arizona’s 7th Congressional District, she has decades of experience serving on the local level.

She was most recently on the Pima County Board of Supervisors and, prior to that, she worked at Pima County Teen Court for more than 25 years, according to her campaign website.

In the special election, Grijalva faced a challenge from social media influencer and activist Deja Foxx, who was endorsed by former DNC chair David Hogg’s super PAC, Leaders We Deserve.

Since Grijalva was elected in a special election, she will have to run again in the upcoming 2026 midterms to earn a full term in Congress.

While Grijalva most likely benefited from her family name, Shroff pointed out that her decades of experience serving Arizona gave her campaign a real litmus test.

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“Family name aside, [Grijalva] was able to be evaluated by her community,” the Democratic commentator said.

When reached for comment, Grijalva told Fox News Digital that she is “the proud daughter of Raúl Grijalva — a man who spent his entire life fighting for justice, equity, and dignity for the most vulnerable.”

“While no one can fill the shoes of my dad, I stand on my own two feet in my service to the people of Southern Arizona — with 23 years in elected office and 25 years helping court-involved youth and their families through a restorative juvenile diversion program,” she said in a statement. 

Fox News Digital reached out to Schlossberg, Pelosi, Bush and Shaheen for comment but did not immediately receive responses. 

Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.