Federal

U.S. Representative, 12th Congressional District

Vote for: 1
Term: 2 years
Candidates: 4
Election: Nov 3, 2026

What this office does: A U.S. representative votes on federal laws and the federal budget in the U.S. House.

Covers part of New York County. The current representative, Jerrold Nadler (per the House Clerk's member list), is not on the ballot.

Candidates Compare by issue

Micah C. Lasher

Democratic

State Assemblymember · Upper West Side

The gist

Supports Medicare for All or a similar universal plan.
Supports repealing the Hyde Amendment.
Supports an assault weapons ban and national red flag law.
Supports repealing the 2025 tax cuts for high earners.
Supports a national moratorium on new data centers.
Supports banning stock trading by members of Congress.
Supports raising and indexing the national minimum wage.
Supports massively expanding federal investment in child care.

More about Micah

View sources (1)

Supports Medicare for All or a similar universal plan.
Platform and Policies — Lasher for Congress
Campaign website · Lasher for Congress · micahlasher.com
“Push to pass Medicare for All, or a similar plan that ensures universal care.”
Supports repealing the Hyde Amendment.
Platform and Policies — Lasher for Congress
Campaign website · Lasher for Congress · micahlasher.com
“Vote to repeal the Hyde Amendment to make choice available to all women.”
Supports an assault weapons ban and national red flag law.
Platform and Policies — Lasher for Congress
Campaign website · Lasher for Congress · micahlasher.com
“Reinstate the ban on assault weapons and support a national Red Flag law.”
Supports repealing the 2025 tax cuts for high earners.
Platform and Policies — Lasher for Congress
Campaign website · Lasher for Congress · micahlasher.com
“Repeal Trump’s tax breaks to the rich and restore devastating cuts to the social safety net.”
Supports a national moratorium on new data centers.
Platform and Policies — Lasher for Congress
Campaign website · Lasher for Congress · micahlasher.com
“Support a national moratorium on the construction of new data centers”
Supports banning stock trading by members of Congress.
Platform and Policies — Lasher for Congress
Campaign website · Lasher for Congress · micahlasher.com
“Vote to ban stock trading by members of Congress.”
Supports raising and indexing the national minimum wage.
Platform and Policies — Lasher for Congress
Campaign website · Lasher for Congress · micahlasher.com
“Raise the minimum wage across the nation and index it to inflation.”
Supports massively expanding federal investment in child care.
Platform and Policies — Lasher for Congress
Campaign website · Lasher for Congress · micahlasher.com
“Massively expand federal investment in child care.”

Caroline Shinkle

Republican, Conservative

Attorney; former Federal Reserve economist · Midtown Manhattan

The gist

Proposes reducing federal income tax on W-2 wages.
Supports a balanced budget amendment and zero-based budgeting.
Supports upzoning near transit and converting unused offices.
Proposes making all student loan interest tax deductible.
Supports school choice and curriculum transparency.
Opposes policies that release violent offenders.

More about Caroline

View sources (1)

Proposes reducing federal income tax on W-2 wages.
Priorities — Caroline Shinkle for Congress
Campaign website · Caroline for Congress · carolinefornewyork.com
“allow people to keep more of what they earn by reducing the federal income tax on W-2 wages”
Supports a balanced budget amendment and zero-based budgeting.
Priorities — Caroline Shinkle for Congress
Campaign website · Caroline for Congress · carolinefornewyork.com
“through balanced budget amendments and zero-based budgeting to keep Washington spending in check”
Supports upzoning near transit and converting unused offices.
Priorities — Caroline Shinkle for Congress
Campaign website · Caroline for Congress · carolinefornewyork.com
“Repurpose unused office space, streamline permitting, and advocate for upzoning near transit corridors.”
Proposes making all student loan interest tax deductible.
Priorities — Caroline Shinkle for Congress
Campaign website · Caroline for Congress · carolinefornewyork.com
“making the interest on student loan payments fully tax deductible, with no income caps”
Supports school choice and curriculum transparency.
Priorities — Caroline Shinkle for Congress
Campaign website · Caroline for Congress · carolinefornewyork.com
“Empower parents with school choice and greater curriculum transparency”
Opposes policies that release violent offenders.
Priorities — Caroline Shinkle for Congress
Campaign website · Caroline for Congress · carolinefornewyork.com
“End the revolving-door policies that return violent offenders to our streets”

Wilneida Negron

For All of Us

The gist

Proposes refundable Family Care Credit and Child Tax Credit.
Supports banning stock trading by members of Congress.
Proposes tuition-free community college retraining for AI-era jobs.
Supports restoring an effects-based Voting Rights Act standard.
Supports funding flood protection and grid upgrades.
Opposes U.S. sanctions on International Criminal Court staff.

More about Wilneida

View sources (2)

Proposes refundable Family Care Credit and Child Tax Credit.
VOTE411 Voter Guide: New York Congressional District 12 (candidate questionnaire)
Candidate questionnaire · League of Women Voters of New York State (VOTE411), answers written by the candidate · onyourballot.vote411.org
“I'll pass a refundable Family Care Credit for child and elder care, home-based Medicare care, and a fully refundable Child Tax Credit”
Supports banning stock trading by members of Congress.
VOTE411 Voter Guide: New York Congressional District 12 (candidate questionnaire)
Candidate questionnaire · League of Women Voters of New York State (VOTE411), answers written by the candidate · onyourballot.vote411.org
“I'll ban congressional stock trading, force dark money disclosure, protect inspectors general, and restore independent federal data.”
Wilneida Negron for Congress (NY-12)
Campaign website · Wilneida Negron for Congress · wilneidany12.com
“This campaign does not accept contributions from corporate political action committees.”
Proposes tuition-free community college retraining for AI-era jobs.
VOTE411 Voter Guide: New York Congressional District 12 (candidate questionnaire)
Candidate questionnaire · League of Women Voters of New York State (VOTE411), answers written by the candidate · onyourballot.vote411.org
“tuition-free community college retraining, AI literacy in schools, and training tax credits tied to living wages”
Supports restoring an effects-based Voting Rights Act standard.
VOTE411 Voter Guide: New York Congressional District 12 (candidate questionnaire)
Candidate questionnaire · League of Women Voters of New York State (VOTE411), answers written by the candidate · onyourballot.vote411.org
“I'll work across the aisle to restore an effects-based standard, pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act”
Supports funding flood protection and grid upgrades.
VOTE411 Voter Guide: New York Congressional District 12 (candidate questionnaire)
Candidate questionnaire · League of Women Voters of New York State (VOTE411), answers written by the candidate · onyourballot.vote411.org
“I will push to fund flood protection, cooling, and grid upgrades in vulnerable neighborhoods”
Opposes U.S. sanctions on International Criminal Court staff.
VOTE411 Voter Guide: New York Congressional District 12 (candidate questionnaire)
Candidate questionnaire · League of Women Voters of New York State (VOTE411), answers written by the candidate · onyourballot.vote411.org
“We should not sanction the court's judges and staff.”

Karen Ortiz

Attorney; former EEOC administrative judge

The gist

Pledges to introduce articles of impeachment against Trump.
Supports Medicare for All.
Supports an arms embargo on Israel.
Proposes codifying civil rights protections for LGBTQIA+ people.

More about Karen

View sources (1)

Pledges to introduce articles of impeachment against Trump.
Karen Ortiz for Congress
Campaign website · Karen Ortiz for Congress · ko4congress.com
“If I am elected, I vow to introduce Articles of Impeachment on Day One.”
Supports Medicare for All.
Karen Ortiz for Congress
Campaign website · Karen Ortiz for Congress · ko4congress.com
“We need Medicare for All to ensure that everyone has access to truly affordable, quality healthcare”
Supports an arms embargo on Israel.
Karen Ortiz for Congress
Campaign website · Karen Ortiz for Congress · ko4congress.com
“We must impose an arms embargo on and stop sending our tax dollars to Israel.”
Proposes codifying civil rights protections for LGBTQIA+ people.
Karen Ortiz for Congress
Campaign website · Karen Ortiz for Congress · ko4congress.com
“I will introduce legislation that fully protects the rights of LGBTQIA+ people, homeless people, incarcerated people, and non-citizens.”

Challengers are listed first and incumbents last; otherwise candidates appear in ballot order. The Gist does not rank, rate or endorse candidates. Only positions backed by a cited source are shown; 9 issues covered in this race.