In a world seemingly designed to create the quintessential Gen Z archetype, Cameron Kasky stands out as a real-life example. At 140 pounds and standing 5 feet 10 inches, this self-described socialist ‘twink’ steers clear of alcohol, marijuana, and the nightclub scene, embodying a purity that might seem engineered in a lab. Yet, in New York City, Kasky is a genuine figure testing the boundaries of how left-leaning one of America’s wealthiest urban areas can become.

As Representative Jerry Nadler steps down after three decades of serving New York’s 12th congressional district, Kasky emerges as a potential successor in a Democratic stronghold that hasn’t supported a Republican candidate since the 1950s. Winning the primary in this district is tantamount to securing a long-term career in the House of Representatives.

At just 25, Kasky has spent the last seven years vocally opposing Donald Trump and the Republican agenda, driven by a profound personal tragedy. His classmates were killed in the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, an event that spurred him into activism.

In the aftermath of the massacre, Kasky co-founded the gun control advocacy group Never Again MSD at just 17. That same year, he led the March for Our Lives rally in Washington, D.C., and was recognized as one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People.

Today, Kasky, who candidly discusses his mental health and battles with bipolar disorder, believes he can play a pivotal role in rejuvenating the Democratic Party. He envisions this renewal taking shape under the leadership of NYC mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, as the city looks towards a new political era.

Now the Gen Z boy wonder, who is open about his mental health and struggles with bipolar disorder, believes he has what it takes to help revitalize a wounded Democratic Party in the new era of NYC mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. 

If he were to win, Kasky – who defines himself as queer – would be the youngest member of Congress in history. he would also be in charge of New York’s wealthiest district, which includes famed neighborhoods like Hell’s Kitchen, and the Upper East and Upper West Sides.

However, the race to be the district’s Democratic candidate is a crowded one – with the handsome list of lefty competition leaving many politicos describing it as the ‘hottest primary ever.’

Most notably, Kasky is up against Jack Schlossberg, the earing-wearing grandson of President John F. Kennedy known for his viral shirtless snaps and who announced his intention to run earlier this month.

As such, Kasky himself has described the race as a ‘twink-off’, featuring a ‘cadre of twinks’.

‘It makes you feel like you are on the ferry to Fire Island Pines getting ready to go dance… it’s exciting,’ he told the Don Lemon Show in a recent interview.

But can an inexperienced ‘twink’ from Florida beat a Kennedy in New York City?

After all, Schlossberg, 32, has the starting advantage of coming from a wealthy family who are friendly with the city’s Democratic donor class.

And Kasky confesses that asking for money has already become a major problem for his fledgling campaign. But he believes his name recognition will triumph over a lack of funds.

‘Part of the reason that you need money from the jump is to get on the map, but I’m on the map, so I need to fundraise now to build the long term infrastructure for the campaign,’ he told the Daily Mail.

Indeed, Kasky is hoping that – as happened for Mamdani – online virality will propel him ahead of the crowded pack and past Democratic ‘moderates’ like Schlossberg. 

Certainly, online fans have been gushing over Kasky’s boyish appearance, but the young socialist insists good looks won’t sway the election.

‘I’m not worried about how my opponents look, I’m worried about how their platforms look. They look pretty opaque across the board,’ he said.

Kasky is positioning himself as a truly socialist candidate in a field of moderate Democrats.

His headline policies include ending funding for Israel’s ‘genocide’ in Gaza, abolishing ICE, and providing free health care to every American.

‘I’m the only hardcore left winger,’ he said. ‘If people keep joining this clown car of a race, they’re just dispersing the moderate vote wider and wider.’

And Kasky isn’t afraid of calling out Democratic establishment figures like Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer or former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

‘We need more politicians who don’t sit in their seats until they die of old age,’ he said.

Years before turning his attention to elected office, Kasky was doing what many young men his age are still doing – getting high. 

After dropping out of Columbia University at age 23 after just a handful of semesters, Kasky drifted to California where he admits to smoking weed heavily and experimenting with harder drugs.

‘I was never really getting wasted all the time, but I used to smoke a ton of pot, and I had a lot of fun with drugs,’ Kasky noted.

But on his way back to New York City he decided to give up those vices in a move that he feels symbolically represents a transition into real adulthood. 

‘I haven’t smoked weed, drank, done any drugs, in a very long time, almost two years now, that was because I was just not able to moderate those things,’ he said.

Kasky is now living sober, but moving through the streets of the Big Apple he looks back fondly on his misspent youth. 

‘Every time I smell weed, I’m like, “Oh yeah, those were good days”.’

He will surely need that youthful vigor as he comes up against a crowded field of candidates with plenty of Democratic donor money behind their campaigns.

‘My path to victory is counting on all of these people staying in the race,’ Kasky said. 

‘I invite them to stay in until Election Day. I do not want a single one of these people to drop out. It just makes it easier and easier for me every day.’

The young socialist launched his campaign in November with a Mamdani-style video walking through the streets of New York. It quickly went viral.

And like Mamdani, Kasky is not afraid to call out the Democratic Party for being too old and out of touch with his generation – the generation that was essential in handing Trump the keys back to the White House last November.

Kasky celebrated Pelosi’s recent decision to not run again for office at the age of 85.

‘I am very, very happy to see that she’s stepping down, and that’s not with any hate for Pelosi. That’s just me saying we need more politicians like Pelosi and Nadler who do not sit in their seats until they die of old age,’ he said.

He has other bones to pick.

Kasky is also taking a shot at House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, claiming he is ‘not the future of the party’ but he would still work with him ‘to pass bills that improve the material conditions of working Americans.’

And the young political wannabe is calling out Schumer, 75, for his recent Senate resolution condemning white supremacist Nick Fuentes.

‘Oh my God, introducing legislation to denounce Nick Fuentes is a gift to Nick Fuentes. All he wants is to be targeted by institutions of power, because that allows him to further victimize himself and to further victimize the people who rally behind him,’ Kasky said.

‘Nick Fuentes being legitimized in any way by our government is handing Nick Fuentes a generational W on a silver platter.’

Kasky routinely denounces anti-Semitism and the rise of far-Right racism but he is not afraid to also criticize Israel and brand its war in Gaza a ‘genocide.’

‘I started my young adult life calling for an end to the horrific massacre of innocent children and adults by weapons manufactured in the United States, and it was unacceptable and a moral atrocity when it happened in the hallways of my high school,’ Kasky said.

‘And it is an unacceptable moral atrocity happening on a much bigger scale in Gaza. And you know, I also am focused on the part of my agenda is stop funding genocide.’

Kasky, who is Jewish, says his views on Israel and Palestine are in touch with Gen Z voters.

But is he in touch with the voters of New York’s 12th district?

Kasky is running to represent a congressional district that has the largest Jewish population in the US with more than 181,000 Jewish residents.

However, the socialist up-and-comer doesn’t believe comparing Israel to an apartheid state will turn off Jewish voters.

‘There are a lot of liberal Zionists in this country who are against what the state of Israel is doing,’ he said.

While Kasky’s views on Israel may mirror the sentiment of many Zoomers across the political spectrum, his personal lifestyle is hardly representative of most young 20-something Midtown Manhattanites. 

The young activist proudly rejects the city’s famous nightlife: ‘I don’t like bars… I’m in bed by midnight.

‘I hang out when everybody is getting ready and pre-gaming… and then when it’s time for them to go hit the club, I say, “Good night,” and then I go home.’

That self-discipline may serve him well in the grueling months of campaigning ahead as he tries to prove to New York’s Democratic establishment that Mamdani’s socialist underdog victory was just the start.