‘We Are Not Going to Reward Failure’: Caroline Shinkle on Her Congressional Bid in Manhattan

“I do not accept failure!” Caroline Shinkle responds when I ask her why she is attempting to run for New York’s 12th Congressional District on Nov. 3, in one of the most liberal House Districts in the country. Shinkle, until recently a corporate attorney at Cravath, Swaine & Moore, a prominent international law firm in Manhattan, when she stepped down to launch her campaign as the Republican candidate vying for the open seat being vacated by Rep. Jerry Nadler, who has had the position for over three decades. (The district includes Midtown Manhattan, as well as the Upper West Side and the Upper East Side, among other areas.)

Shinkle faces Micah Lasher, who bested some half dozen other Democratic candidates in June. Shinkle, a Manhattan native, says she has no choice: “I will not leave the future of the center of Western Civilization, New York City, in the hands of incompetent hacks.” Surely, her strong background in economics, international finance, and law will aid her in this tumultuous political arena. Running for public office for the first time, Shinkle is entering a competitive political landscape with a focus on issues including affordability, public safety, economic growth, taxes, and education. A strong supporter of Israel and a fierce critic of Mayor Mamdani, her candidacy offers voters a fresh face in the race to represent a district that has long been dominated by Democrats.

The Jewish Press spoke to Shinkle to learn more about her agenda.

Why run for office? You’ve had an illustrious career and surely a bright professional future in the private sector. Why put that all aside to step into the mud bath that is politics – especially New York politics?

Are we just going to sit back and let the greatest city in the world, the center of global enterprise, New York City, be taken over by people who hate our country and want to tear down the fabric of our society? 

We have to attract investment to New York City, rather than drive it away. My credentials and experience in international finance and economics are powerful and arguably will stand up favorably against any candidate running for public office anywhere in the country today. There are times when, if you want a job done right, you have to do it yourself. I decided to step up, and New Yorkers across the political spectrum are joining me.

Running as a Republican in New York City has always been like swimming upstream. Now, with the DSA dominating and driving policy on the Democratic side, it’s like pushing back the tide. What’s your strategy for winning over voters? How do you rate your chances?

How can anyone run as a Democrat when today's Democratic Party has been taken over by socialists hell-bent on tearing down the structure upon which our nation was founded? We are in the midst of a national political realignment, the likes of which we have not seen since FDR. I am betting on the people of New York's 12th Congressional district to vote in their own best interest. If the people of NY-12 are open-minded, I will win this race. If quality matters in American politics, I will win this race. We need to vote common sense as a strategy to override the misdirection currently manifesting in today's Democrat Party, which is translating into the continued decline of New York City.

Your policy platform is not only tremendously detailed, comprehensive, and well thought-out, it’s frankly quite inspiring – which is no small thing at a time when it seems the city we knew is being dismantled right before our eyes. What gives you hope for New York? From where do you draw your energy and motivation to fight this fight?

Throughout American history, from the time when George Washington crossed the Delaware to D-Day in WWII, Americans have taken immeasurable risks to build, protect, and preserve the greatest experiment in governance since the dawn of creation. There are times when alarms are buzzing and the red warning lights are flashing. The New York City 2025 mayoral election was one such time. 

Since the beginning of Mamdani's administration, New York City's tax base has been eroded by at least $11 billion and will likely accelerate at an increasing rate over time. He is ushering in a spiral of decline where the DSA solution will be yet higher taxes and yet more failure. Time is of the essence. This is one such time where it is darkest just before the dawn. 

It was the election of gross incompetence that motivated me to enter the political arena, and to fix the situation firsthand. As a result, I am offering my experience and background to reenergize the vibrancy and energy of New York City. To bring inspiration back to New York City. We will do this by spooling up the turbine of private enterprise and investment in our city, when it is needed now more than ever. This will be driven by policy solutions that will motivate the right behavior to generate and support growth and prosperity. 

Your fiscal policies depend on a strong economy and business culture – things that are being undermined under Mayor Mamdani. And there are companies and high-income New Yorkers who are choosing to leave for – I don’t want to say greener, so let’s say more open – economic pastures. As a congresswoman in Washington, how will you be able to achieve your goals for the city when it is being run by an administration with a very different agenda?

There is a lot at the federal level I can do to incentivize the right behavior at the local level. I intend to use linkage to key appropriations bills that will "encourage" the right behavior from the mayor's office to qualify for the appropriations. We are not going to reward failure. This approach should slow down the socialist erosion of the private enterprise system in New York City. Examples are appropriations to modernize and harden New York's electrical grid, contingent upon opening the state of New York's natural gas reserves to drive down the cost of energy, and for the mayor to clean up the quality and safety of the New York City subway, in order to qualify for appropriations to modernize the subway system. 

Similarly, you have a strong finance background working at the Federal Reserve, European Central Bank and Bank of Israel, as well as one of New York's leading law firms. How would you use that financial and legal experience to address the affordability challenges facing New Yorkers?

I have a deep understanding of economics and international finance, having graduated from MIT, where I studied Economics, and Harvard Law School, and having worked at the highest levels of international central banking and corporate law. I understand how to make economic frameworks work for the benefit of New Yorkers and all of us as Americans.

The affordability challenge is immediate. Therefore, we need immediate relief while implementing longer-term cures. Step 1 is to protect the paycheck. No federal income tax on the first $150,000 of earned W2 income. This is designed for immediate relief. To fully address inflation and cost of money, we will need to balance the budget. This will take inflationary pressure off the dollar and ensure its status as the global reserve currency is preserved. The Federal Reserve will have room to dramatically cut rates thereby lowering the cost of capital. This framework creates prosperity across the board, allowing many business decisions to go forward as the financial analysis becomes feasible with a much lower financial burden. This approach will have an across the board logarithmic effect in cultivating prosperity and opportunity. 

Tell us about your time working in Israel, under Stanley Fischer at the Bank of Israel, and how that affected you and your worldview.

Living and working in Israel was a transformational experience for me. I was an economics student at MIT at the time, and Stanley Fischer, as the head of Israel's central bank, was a legend. Having navigated the Israeli economy through the global financial crisis of 2008 by maintaining positive economic growth while the rest of the world was in recession. Fischer earned his PhD in economics at MIT, and one of the important work ethic lessons of MIT is that we solve problems regardless of political perspective. We are pragmatists, and the mission is to get the job done. Another MIT objective is to learn from best practices. So as a student at MIT, I wanted to learn from Stanley Fischer's global experience as to how he weathered the global financial storm. 

A few years later, Fischer and I crossed paths again while I was working at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, where he was serving as Vice Chair. So there I was – a future Republican candidate for Congress in NY-12, working under the leadership of Janet Yellen, an Obama appointee, who was heading the Federal Reserve, and Stanley Fischer, all working together in the interest of building the U.S. economy.

The Jewish community in New York – and frankly almost everywhere – is facing horrific levels of intimidation, vicious libels, and attacks. Terrorists and their supporters are painted as victims and heroes. Exhibit A is the way last week’s October 7 commemorations were hijacked by anti-Israel groups. You’ve made fighting antisemitism an explicit part of your platform and have been very clear in your support for Israel. Where does your moral clarity come from? Have you received any pushback about your stance or any threats personally?

My position on unapologetically fighting against antisemitism is likely a result of being an American and respecting the Judeo-Christian tradition upon which our country was founded, as envisioned by our founding fathers, and also of being a proud Catholic. It was reinforced with the perspective of having lived in Jerusalem, working at the Bank of Israel, walking the ancient streets of Jerusalem, experiencing the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and visiting the Wailing Wall during a transformational period in my life. Throughout history, the Jewish community has added so much value through innovation, scholarship, the arts, and so much more. Those states/empires that embraced antisemitism throughout history have eventually declined. The United States, and especially New York City, should honor the proud tradition of welcoming, respecting, and learning from all of our communities, including the Jewish community. This is in all of our best interests.

Yes, I have received pushback against my strong moral clarity in terms of my unwavering support for the Jewish community and Israel's right to exist and right and obligation to defend itself. But I know I'm on the right side of history. A sign of true leadership is to do what is proper and what is right in the face of opposition and derision.

You are a strong critic of Mayor Mamdani. What specifically concerns you most about his policies, and, as a member of Congress, how would you try to limit his negative impact?

Mamdani is clueless and power hungry, a dangerous combination. He has no understanding as to how to build a vibrant tax base and ensure a welcoming, safe environment for all constituents, probably the most important roles as mayor. As referenced in my earlier response, I intend to incentivize the mayor and local government to embrace productive and common sense policies by conditioning the receipt of federal funding and key appropriations bills on just that. Thus, we will incentivize the right behavior from the mayor’s office in order to qualify for the appropriations. We are not going to reward failure or embrace the warmth of collectivism.

Your issue-by-issue comparison states that your opponent, Micah Lasher, while a Democrat, has basically sold out to the DSA. Is there a future for the Democratic Party in the city – and beyond – that does not involve it collapsing into communism and Jew-hate?

The question of whether there is a future for the Democrat Party in the city is best left to traditional Democrats to work through. However, I would argue that today’s Democrat Party is already gone. The party of JFK has become the DSA. Schumer sent $50 million to El-Sayed in Michigan, former President Obama is campaigning with El-Sayed, and AOC appears to be on her way to becoming the party’s standard bearer. My opponent, Micah Lasher, is also part of the problem. He endorsed Mamdani immediately, continues to support him and the DSA agenda, has embraced socialist policy, and is too afraid to call out or condemn Mamdani or the DSA for anything. Lasher's silence with respect to Mamdani's horrific statements on the third anniversary of October 7 is further evidence of Lasher's having already totally caved in. That's not leadership. That's failure.

If mainstream Democrats vote Republican in NY-12 this election, there is a chance that they can save their party. This will allow them an opportunity to clean house by replacing the DSA types with mainstream Democratic thinking. As long as the leadership placates the far left and makes excuses such as welcoming the DSA into the "big tent," saving their party at this point appears to be a long-shot.

Public safety and affordability are major issues for New Yorkers. If elected, what are the first three things you would want Congress to do to make life safer and more affordable for families?

First, I will make life more affordable for New York families by protecting their paycheck and fighting inflation--the underlying driver of the cost of living crisis. I'll propose legislation that eliminates the federal income tax on W2 wages up to $150,000 and work to balance the federal budget, which will help create the conditions for the Federal Reserve to lower the cost of money. Second, I will prioritize public safety, and never politicize the issue, by ensuring that our law enforcement officers are supported, that they and federal prosecutors have the resources they need to effectively tackle crime, and end the revolving-door policies that put criminals back on our streets. Third, I do not tolerate hate in any form and will fight against the rising antisemitism in our streets and public discourse. I will track down and prosecute the sources of funds that are financing antisemitic violence and shut them down.