The candidate trying to fight past the boys club vying for retiring Rep. Nadler's seat

In the deep blue confines of Manhattan's 12th Congressional District, four men are usually considered the leading contenders to succeed retiring U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler: two assemblymembers and two men with deep ties to the DC elite.

Then there's Nina Schwalbe, a public health professional with a long-standing connection to the district who has been fighting to break into the crowded race ahead of the Democratic primary in June.

Schwalbe is not a lightweight. She brings decades of experience running public health programs for the United Nations and the U.S. government. She has roots in the district that go back generations. But with only a fraction of the fundraising and political infrastructure of her competitors, she remains a long shot.

Still, recent polling shows up to a quarter of voters in the district are undecided, and Schwalbe said she is making her case to voters.

“ From vaccines to abortion, from science to SNAP to basic rule of law, we are losing our democracy and the systems that keep us safe,” Schwalbe said at a recent candidate forum at the Stephen Wise Free Synagogue on the Upper West Side.

That Schwalbe even had a seat on the stage was notable. She has not met the criteria for other events in the district.

A recent cover of New York magazine about the race featured only four candidates: Assemblymember Micah Lasher from the Upper West Side; Assemblymember Alex Bores from the Upper East Side; former Republican turned anti-Trump Democrat George Conway; and Jack Schlossberg, the grandson of President John F. Kennedy.

That cover really ticked off 70-year-old  Patti Fleischer, who stopped to shake Schwalbe's hand on a recent Tuesday morning as the candidate campaigned on Broadway, a few doors down from the entrance to Zabar’s.

“Shame. Do better,” Fleischer said of the photo. “This is New York, this isn't South Dakota.”

Schwalbe and her partner have two children. She lives in the northern part of the district. She is not steeped in the local political club scene and her experience as a first-time candidate has proven humbling, even though she is not the only novice in the race.

“I can list on one hand the politicians from our district who actually took a meeting with me to talk about my campaign before deciding who to endorse,” Schwalbe said at the recent forum.

She said the same goes for local political clubs, which are key to turning out primary voters in this district. But she shared her sharpest rebuke for the media and that magazine cover: “Four dudes, Mr. Manhattan. That is not acceptable.”

Asked about her complaint after the forum, the candidates agreed.

“I think she’s right,” Lasher said.

“It wasn’t my choice, but I think she’s got a great point,” Schlossberg said.

Schlossberg and Conway are also first-time candidates who have their own weaknesses when it comes to experience and ties to the district.

Schlossberg, who has dual law and business degrees from Harvard, entered the race boosted by his family’s deep Democratic connections, including an early endorsement from former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. But the 33-year-old has faced questions about a thin resume that might be seen as disqualifying for another candidate.

Conway, an attorney with experience before the U.S. Supreme Court, moved back to the district to run in this race, is making a pitch largely focused on prosecuting President Donald Trump.

Both Lasher and Bores have records and bases of support in the district that they can draw from. Some view their face-off as a replay of the 2022 primary fight between Nadler, who has endorsed Lasher, and former Rep. Carolyn Maloney, who is supporting Bores.

Lasher is also getting a boost from a super PAC funded by former Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Bores is the target of attacks from an AI-funded super PAC while picking up union support and backing from U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders’ group, Our Revolution.

Three other candidates on ballot have struggled even more with their fundraising and campaign infrastructure: software engineer Christopher Diep, civil rights attorney Laura Dunn and criminal justice professor Patrick Timmins.

But Schwalbe is still making an impression, even on people who are voting for other candidates.

“I’m voting for Micah,” said Bob Liff, a political operative who lives in the district and worked for Maloney’s last primary campaign. But he noted that Schwalbe stands out when she talks about her experience.

“ Her problem is you've got these four perceived front-runners who have a significant amount of money and some organizational support, and when you've got a multi-candidate field like this, you need that organizational support to break through the din,” Liff said.

When Schwalbe is on the stump, voters bring up lots of issues. She talked to Fleischer about the increasing cost of living across the city and their shared Jewish roots. Schwalbe's family came from Germany in the 1840s and has lived in the district for six generations. Fleischer's arrived at the turn of the 20th century.

The conversation turned to Israel, a hot-button issue in the district, which has a large Jewish population.

“We just have different perspectives, Jews in particular,” Fleischer said, lowering her voice. “I'm not a Zionist. But it's such a hot topic, and there's so much anger and wrath,” she added, sighing heavily, “Makes me uncomfortable.”

Schwalbe supports a two-state solution: A Jewish democratic State of Israel and a free and sovereign Palestine. She also believes Israel’s campaign in Gaza after Oct. 7 is a genocide, a position that puts her at odds with most of the other candidates in the race.

Schwalbe, who often introduces herself as a scientist, a lesbian and a mother, said she has taken a lot of heat from voters in the district.

“ I get hate because of my position on Israel from members of the community. I get a lot of hate around vaccines,” Schwalbe said. “At least one in 15 people I speak to is a rabid anti-vaxxer who believes that Mr. [Bill] Gates is putting chips in our arms, so yeah, it's pretty nasty out there.”

Most of the time, Schwalbe is out talking to voters one-on-one on the street or at their door as she canvasses with volunteers.

Her palm card notes she was tapped by the Biden-Harris administration to lead its $7 billion program to distribute COVID-19 vaccines around the world. She also has business cards that include information about her campaign printed in Braille for visually impaired voters.

Retired dance teacher Germaine Salsberg, 75, was another voter who stopped to take Schwalbe’s flier while she was stumping on Broadway.

“I admire anybody that's crawling out from under this mess,” Salsberg told her, a general reference to the state of the federal government, calling the Republicans “a lost cause.”

Schwalbe asked Salsberg what was bugging her most about the district, her standard opening when talking to voters.

“The Democrats not doing anything bothers me,” Salsberg said.

Schwalbe told her that’s why she is running, because she agrees Democrats need to do more.

“ That's one of the reasons I'm standing up. I'm not a legacy Dem, I'm not a celebrity, I'm not backed by a billionaire,” Schwalbe said, making an earnest pitch citing her experience in public health, before adding, “Can I give you a button? I’m polling fifth behind the four guys.”