Cynthia Nixon and the battle for Broadway

When Representative Jerry Nadler announced his retirement this week, Democrats in New York instantly began preparing for a political drama worthy of its stage. Nadler’s district – the 12th, which covers the Upper West and Upper East Sides, Midtown, Times Square and the United Nations – is the geographic heart of Manhattan. It’s also one of the safest Democratic seats in the country. Whoever wins the primary will not only control a powerful perch in Congress, but also inherit a stage in the very center of America’s media capital.

That’s the problem. In New York’s 12th, politics isn’t about solving problems. It’s about performance.

For decades, Nadler played the part of Manhattan’s liberal lion. But in his later years, his work as a legislator was overshadowed by his role as a star of the Trump impeachment saga. Nadler’s most memorable moments in Congress weren’t about fixing housing costs, reducing crime, or dealing with New York’s collapsing infrastructure. They were about sitting in front of cameras, promising to “hold Trump accountable.” Even Nadler’s allies now admit his retirement marks the end of an era defined less by governance and more by political theater.

Enter the next cast of characters. Micah Lasher, a state assemblymember and former Nadler aide, is already being framed as the establishment’s choice. But this is Manhattan, which means Lasher won’t have the stage to himself. Expect a chorus of progressives, activists and democratic socialists eager to turn this district into their next soapbox. Zohran Mamdani, the democratic socialist who recently became the Democratic mayoral nominee, only narrowly beat Andrew Cuomo in June – but his upset has emboldened the left. His allies will see Nadler’s seat as a prime opportunity to push their agenda further.

This is, after all, the district of liberal royalty and celebrity activism. Among those considering running is Cynthia Nixon, who ran for governor from its leafy streets. So too Molly Jong-Fast, the socialite-turned-MSNBC commentator, who tweets furiously from the Upper East Side. And of course, the Kennedy-Schlossberg clan still hovers around the neighborhood, auditioning themselves for future office. These are the “stars” of District 12 – figures who are repellent to mainstream America but perfectly at home in Manhattan’s bubble, where politics is just another performance art.

This race will be covered breathlessly by CNN, MSNBC and the New York Times not because the district’s voters face unique struggles, but because it provides the perfect script. In New York’s “Political Theater District,” the Democratic primary will be marketed as a battle for the soul of the party: Wall Street donors versus socialist insurgents. One candidate will claim the mantle of responsible governance; another will demand revolutionary change. The audience – journalists, Ivy League professors, and Upper East Side donors – will cheer from the sidelines.

Meanwhile, the actual constituents of NY-12 face real problems that will barely register in the debates. Manhattan is struggling with skyrocketing housing prices, public safety concerns, an overwhelmed shelter system, and an affordability crisis that is driving middle-class families out of the city altogether. Yet those issues will take a backseat to ideological pageantry. The candidates aren’t running to represent New Yorkers. They’re running to impress MSNBC bookers, national activist groups and wealthy donors who see New York as a testing ground for their preferred brand of politics.

It is telling that within hours of Nadler’s retirement announcement, Democratic clubs were already organizing candidate forums – not around issues like public safety or schools, but around how best to position the district as a national stage. In Manhattan, the applause of the crowd has become more important than the quality of governance.

This is the broader story of today’s Democratic Party. In cities across America, Democrats are more interested in performance than results. Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson delivers speeches about equity while his city’s crime spirals. San Francisco officials declare their city a climate leader while families flee in record numbers. In Washington, House Democrats compete to see who can deliver the sharpest sound bite about Donald Trump, while ignoring the border crisis and inflation. Nadler’s district is simply the most glaring example because of where it sits: at the center of the world’s cameras.

The Democratic base in Manhattan doesn’t want a legislator. It wants a performer. The district’s voters have been conditioned to expect headlines, not solutions. That’s why Nadler’s fiercest defenders remember his role in the impeachment hearings, not any serious legislation he passed for New Yorkers. That’s why Lasher will be asked how well he can defend democracy on cable television, not how he plans to fix crime on the subways.

The irony is that even as Democrats cast themselves as the “serious party of governance,” their most coveted congressional district has become a caricature of everything wrong with modern politics: politics as performance art, driven by donors, activists and an elite media audience that rewards theatrics over substance.

As Nadler exits stage left, the show will go on. The candidates will fight over who can deliver the loudest applause line, who can attract the flashiest endorsements, and who can position themselves as the next national star. But don’t expect them to fix the problems that have made life in New York harder for ordinary families. The district is no longer about serving New Yorkers. It’s about serving as America’s most glamorous political theater.

For Democrats, New York’s 12th District is the most important congressional seat in the country. But for the rest of America, it’s just another reminder: when it comes to governance, the Democratic Party has forgotten its lines.