The grandson of John F Kennedy should be considered a "serious contender" in next year's US Congressional elections, former chair of the US Democratic National Committee Howard Dean has told Behind the Story.
Jack Schlossberg is running for election to represent New York’s 12th district in elections next November.
The area encompasses high-profile areas like the United Nations, the Empire State Building, Times Square and Central Park.
32-year-old Schlossberg is the only grandson of former President John F Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy-Onassis.
His mother Caroline Kennedy, a sister of the former president, is a previous US ambassador to Japan and Australia.
Howard Dean, who ran for the Democratic nomination for US president in the 2004 election, said he hopes Schlossberg has inherited his mother’s appeal.
"Schlossberg would certainly have to be considered a serious contender, just because of his legacy," he said.
"Caroline, I can tell you, has the JFK twinkle; she’s witty, she’s fun, she’s smart.
"If Jack inherited some of that he’ll have some of the most important tools.
"The name recognition is what you get once you get in and start running".
Mr Dean said appealing to younger voters will be important.
"Getting younger voters out is always a great strategy and it’s what the Democrats are going to depend on to heal us from some of the wilderness that we’ve been in for a while," he said.
On Schlossberg 's decision to run, Mr Dean said: "I think it’s great."
"The more the better and let’s get somebody who can win – the Democrats are going to win this seat.
"It’s going to be a fascinating race, and I would say Jack would certainly be one of the top three in the race."
Mr Dean said he believes the appeal of Schlossberg ‘s grandfather JFK still carries some weight.
"I still think there’s a tremendous amount of goodwill towards President Kennedy," he said.
"My own thinking is that when you get out there, it really doesn’t matter what your background is.
"Jack will have an advantage initially because of that – people will be curious; there’ll want to see him – but he’s going to earn this on his own.
"He’s not going to get this because he’s a Kennedy scion, he’s going to get this because he works really hard and does the work".
Mr Dean also congratulated Catherine Connolly on her election as President, who he branded the "Zohran Mamdani of Ireland".
Jackie Fox and Aisling Kenny also discuss Troy Parrott’s hat-trick win, with the Dubliner scoring five goals in two games for Ireland.
You can listen to Behind the Story which is available on the RTÉ Radio Player.
You can also find episodes on Apple here, or on Spotify here.
