Micah Lasher was among eight Democratic candidates campaigning on Tuesday in the New York-12 Congressional District race on the Upper West Side. Polls opened at 6 a.m. for New York City’s 2026 primary races and were scheduled to close at 9 p.m., setting up a day of voting in a contest to succeed Jerrold Nadler.
One voter said it felt like “the right decision to keep the Congressional seat with a west side candidate [Lasher].” Stephanie Lasher campaigned for her son at the polling site, and her remarks placed him directly in the local push for votes.
West 85th Street turnout
West Side Rag found more volunteers than voters at most polling stops on a rainy Tuesday morning. That was the clearest sign of how the race looked on the ground: signs were visible, volunteers were active, and the actual voter stream lagged behind them at many stops.
The New York-12 Congressional District race included Alex Bores, George Conway, Christopher Diep, Laura Dunn, Micah Lasher, Jack Schlossberg, Nina Schwalbe, and Patrick Timmins. There was no Republican primary in either of the races mentioned, so Democratic voters were deciding the seat without a parallel party contest.
Stephanie Lasher at the site
Bores, Lasher, and Schlossberg drew the largest volunteer and sign presence among the congressional candidates on the Upper West Side. Stephanie Lasher’s presence at the polling site added a family-facing campaign element to that turnout effort, while Eli Northrup’s campaign was also active at West 85th Street.
Stephanie Ruskay urged voters near the corner of West 85th Street and Columbus Avenue: “Please vote! It’s going to be a close election; we need people to participate in democracy,” and later added, “So, please don’t wake up tomorrow and wish you had done something different. It means the world to be here today. I feel very proud of all of us for having run robust and friendly campaigns. I can’t believe we’re at this moment, but I feel so grateful to everyone who has helped.”
Micah Lasher and NY-12
Lasher is one of several Democrats seeking the seat now held by Nadler. The campaign activity on the Upper West Side showed how closely the district fight was being worked at the neighborhood level, with volunteers, signs, and candidate appearances concentrated around the polling places.
What the day did not settle was the result. The vote would decide who advances from the New York-12 Congressional District race, but the Election Day scenes only showed the campaigns pressing their case before the polls closed at 9 p.m.
