Jack Schlossberg
DemocratCandidate for U.S. House, NY-12
Never held elected office
Scored using clearly labeled rhetoric and campaign-platform evidence. Schlossberg has never held elected office, so no official legislative record exists.Composite A — Doctrinal
6.7/10Weighted average by doctrinal multiplier
Composite B — Pragmatic
7.2/10Weighted by actionability for this office
Gap (B − A)
+0.50Gap +0.50 — Pragmatic score exceeds doctrinal alignment: this politician moves issues they are positioned to move.
Issue Overview
Summary
Schlossberg fits into the prudential category of Catholic Social Teaching extremely well. He gets ratings of 4.00 or above on issues such as immigration, labor, criminal justice, housing, foreign aid, economic policy, environment, and foreign wars, in line with his expressed commitment to dignity for migrants, workers' rights, humane criminal justice, access to housing, global solidarity, economically responsible politics, environmental protection, and peace. Of the four intrinsic-life issues rated on platform content, he only rates on abortion, which comes out to a low 1.00 rating, dragging down the composites due to its double weighting as being non-negotiable. His healthcare plank earns him a mediocre 3.49 composite rating, partly due to the fact that an abortion-funding aspect exists within his access plank. However, his end-of-life, torture, and capital punishment issues cannot be rated because there is no platform content, so these three intrinsic life-norm issues were dropped and left without any impact to his overall rating. As always, the major limitation of the scoring system is structural, as Schlossberg has never been in office, and all ratings are based on what is written in his platform rather than actions taken. His Composite A score is 6.74 and Composite B is 7.24. The difference of .50 is due to the high ratings (full 1.00 weightings) he gets on foreign aid, economic policy, and foreign wars.
Interpretive Decisions
There are 4 key factors which impacted this scoring.
No-Record Rule
Schlossberg has never held elected office, so there is no Tier 1-3 evidence for him on any issues. Due to this, each issue with platform content was scored as Tier 4; issues without platform content were completely dropped. Dropped issues were End of Life, Torture, and Capital Punishment.
Everything is Rhetoric
Because no legislative record exists, all ten scored issues rest on stated campaign positions alone, marked [RHETORIC] throughout and assigned a Tier 4 weight. The scores are simply based on declared intent, and will be updated if Schlossberg does become elected. Where the platform page itself was not retrievable (Labor, Fair Tax), the issue was scored on confirmed indirect statements; the limitation appears on the Sources sheet.
How Content Was Scored
Each plank was scored 1-5 on how closely its content tracks the relevant CST principle. An unambiguous, fully-aligned position can reach 5. The rhetoric vs. record gap is not applied as a content penalty; it lives structurally in the uniform Tier 4 tier weight. All mixed, hedged, or pledge-only planks were held to a ceiling of 4 out of 5 where ambiguity existed.
Office for Actionability
Composite B uses the U.S. Representative actionability column, the office Schlossberg will hold if he is to be elected.
Issue-by-Issue Analysis
Click any row to expand the dossier● Intrinsic Evils — 2.0× multiplier
AbortionIntrinsic Evil · 2×Tier 4 rhetoricScore1.0/5
Assessment
Planks are in direct opposition to teaching on abortion. Issue score: 1.00.
CST Reasoning
Direct abortion is an absolute moral evil with no qualifying circumstance. Constitutionalizing, expanding the rights of, or publicly funding abortion conflicts directly with CST. Schlossberg has endorsed the Women's Health Protection Act, which would codify abortion as a federal right. Scored 1. His platform also funds Planned Parenthood through Medicaid. Scored 1. Reproductive freedom is a core stated campaign cause across his social media and 2024 DNC remarks. Scored 1.
Dossier (3 entries)
[RHETORIC] Endorses the Women's Health Protection Act, which would codify abortion as a federal right.
[RHETORIC] Platform funds Planned Parenthood through Medicaid.
[RHETORIC] Reproductive freedom is a core stated campaign cause across social media and 2024 DNC remarks.
The Church holds that human life begins at conception and that direct abortion is a grave moral evil that admits no exceptions (Evangelium Vitae §62; CCC 2270–2275).
● Prudential Issues — 1.0× multiplier
ImmigrationPrudential · 1×Tier 4 rhetoricScore4.5/5
Assessment
Issue score: 4.50.
CST Reasoning
According to CST, every migrant holds inalienable dignity. Wealthy nations have a duty to welcome and support those in genuine need. Existence and enforcement of immigration laws built on cruelty, mistreatment, or family separation conflicts with Catholic teaching. His platform supports Pathway to citizenship, due process of migrants, humane asylum, and enforcement of immigration laws bounded by constitutional limits. Scored 5. "Abolish ICE," verified to mean removing ICE and replacing it with a new agency that must adhere to civil-rights guardrails which enforce lawful enforcement and processing. Scored 4: the restructuring would target the cruelty against migrants that is condemned by CST while preserving legitimate regulation, but its efficacy depends on the new agency's structure and the "abolish" framing remains somewhat ambiguous.
Dossier (2 entries)
[RHETORIC] Platform supports pathway to citizenship, due process of migrants, humane asylum, and enforcement of immigration laws bounded by constitutional limits.
[RHETORIC] "Abolish ICE" -- verified to mean replacing ICE with a new agency required to adhere to civil-rights guardrails enforcing lawful processing.
The Church affirms the right to migrate in search of safety and a dignified life, the duty of receiving nations to welcome migrants to the extent possible, and the obligation to treat all migrants with the dignity owed to human persons (CCC 2241; Laudato Si §175; Strangers No Longer).
Labor RightsPrudential · 1×Tier 4 rhetoricScore5.0/5
Assessment
No ambiguous or countervailing elements on either plank. Issue score: 5.00.
CST Reasoning
Work expresses human dignity. CST commends just wages, the right to organize, and protection of precarious workers. Raise the federal minimum wage toward a living wage and strengthen unemployment insurance (Labor & Dignity of Work platform). Scored 5. A public video defending unions, collective bargaining, and minimum-wage increases. Scored 5.
Dossier (2 entries)
[RHETORIC] Platform (Labor & Dignity of Work): Raise the federal minimum wage toward a living wage and strengthen unemployment insurance.
[RHETORIC] Public video defending unions, collective bargaining, and minimum-wage increases.
Work is a fundamental expression of human dignity. The right to organize, to receive just wages, and to safe working conditions are not privileges but duties owed by society (Rerum Novarum; Laborem Exercens §§6–10; Centesimus Annus §15).
Criminal Justice ReformPrudential · 1×Tier 4 rhetoricScore4.0/5
Assessment
Strongly aligned on humane treatment and proportionality, however, the platform is has nothing on wrongful-conviction safeguards or on the victim dimension described in CST. Issue score: 4.00.
CST Reasoning
CST states that victims and offenders hold unalienable dignity. Punishments for the offenders must not be degrading nor vengeful, and ought to support rehabilitation. CST commends humane conditions, safeguards against wrongful convictions, and attention to unjust patterns. Mandatory-minimum reform, reentry support, community violence intervention, co-responder models, police accountability, and focus on underlying causes. Scored 4.
Dossier (1 entry)
[RHETORIC] Platform: Mandatory-minimum reform, reentry support, community violence intervention, co-responder models, police accountability, and focus on underlying causes.
Punishment must serve rehabilitation and reintegration, not retribution. The Church calls for restorative justice, humane conditions of incarceration, and investment in healing broken social bonds (Compendium of the Social Doctrine §§402–405).
HealthcarePrudential · 1×Tier 4 rhetoricScore3.5/5
Assessment
Issue score: 3.49.
CST Reasoning
Basic healthcare access is a requirement of dignity, with priority for the poor, elderly, and disabled; the teaching is model-neutral on financing but treats direct funding of abortion as a hard line. Public option, expanded Medicaid and ACA, drug-price negotiation, and 9/11 responder health, a strong access platform, but the same platform funds Planned Parenthood through Medicaid, a direct-limit tension flagged in the Healthcare brief. Scored 3: strong access commitments pulled down by the abortion-funding element embedded in the health plank itself. Defends vaccine access and the nursing workforce against proposed HHS cuts. Scored 4.
Dossier (2 entries)
[RHETORIC] Platform: Public option, expanded Medicaid and ACA, drug-price negotiation, and 9/11 responder health. Same platform funds Planned Parenthood through Medicaid.
[RHETORIC] Defends vaccine access and the nursing workforce against proposed HHS cuts.
Access to healthcare is a right rooted in human dignity. Society has an obligation to ensure that all people, especially the poorest, can receive the medical care necessary to live a dignified life (Caritas in Veritate §43; Compendium §166).
HousingPrudential · 1×Tier 4 rhetoricScore4.0/5
Assessment
Issue score: 4.00.
CST Reasoning
Adequate housing is a requirement of human dignity. Property ownership carries social obligations. Financing approaches are acceptable so long as they actually house people. Renter tax deduction, investments in public-housing, affordable-unit production, and permitting reform. Scored 4. Held below 5 because the platform pairs this with SALT-cap repeal, a regressive element that is only weakly connected to providing adequate housing for the poor. Anti-displacement measures, rent stabilization, and property-tax relief. Scored 4.
Dossier (2 entries)
[RHETORIC] Platform: Renter tax deduction, investments in public-housing, affordable-unit production, and permitting reform. Paired with SALT-cap repeal.
[RHETORIC] Platform: Anti-displacement measures, rent stabilization, and property-tax relief.
Adequate shelter is a fundamental human right. Society must ensure that no person is left without a home through active public investment, fair housing enforcement, and protection of the vulnerable from displacement (Gaudium et Spes §26; Compendium §167).
Foreign Aid & Global PovertyPrudential · 1×Tier 4 rhetoricScore4.0/5
Assessment
Israel military-aid material is scored under Foreign Wars to avoid double-counting. Issue score: 4.00.
CST Reasoning
Wealthier nations owe real duties of solidarity to the global poor; the teaching commends meaningful assistance to the poorest and humanitarian relief. Reinvest in international humanitarian and development aid. Scored 4: a clear solidarity pledge, held there because it is a single platform commitment rather than an appropriation.
Dossier (1 entry)
[RHETORIC] Platform: Reinvest in international humanitarian and development aid.
The goods of the earth are destined for all of humanity. Wealthy nations bear a positive duty of solidarity to the global poor through foreign aid, debt relief, fair trade, and international development investment (Populorum Progressio §§43–55; Caritas in Veritate §§36–38).
Economic PolicyPrudential · 1×Tier 4 rhetoricScore4.3/5
Assessment
Issue score: 4.34.
CST Reasoning
The economy exists to serve both individuals and the common good. Policies rated based on whether they complete this service, with preferential option given to the poor. Raise the minimum wage, oppose regressive tariffs, expand access to capital for small-businesses, strengthen unemployment insurance, and fund job training. Scored 4. The "Monthly Moms Bonus," a monthly Child Tax Credit, expanded to American Rescue Plan levels ($300/month for children under 6, $250/month for ages 6 and up). Scored 5. Direct, recurring material support to low-income families. Progressive taxation with SALT-cap repeal. Scored 4. The progressive thrust is aligned, although the SALT repeal is a weak offsetting element.
Dossier (3 entries)
[RHETORIC] Platform: Raise the minimum wage, oppose regressive tariffs, expand access to capital for small-businesses, strengthen unemployment insurance, and fund job training.
[RHETORIC] Platform: Monthly Moms Bonus -- monthly Child Tax Credit expanded to American Rescue Plan levels ($300/month for children under 6, $250/month for ages 6 and up).
[RHETORIC] Platform: Progressive taxation with SALT-cap repeal.
Economic systems must be evaluated by their treatment of the poorest. The Church demands a preferential option for the poor, condemns structural sin that produces inequality, and calls for economic institutions that serve human dignity rather than profit alone (Centesimus Annus §§11–12; Laudato Si §§109–110).
EnvironmentPrudential · 1×Tier 4 rhetoricScore5.0/5
Assessment
Comprehensive and proportionate, with no countervailing element. Issue score: 5.00.
CST Reasoning
Care for all creation is a moral obligation, and CST ties it to justice for the poor and for future generations. The teaching commends actions proportionate to the scale of the crisis. Defend EPA greenhouse-gas authority, protect clean air and water, fund climate adaptation, hold polluters accountable, and streamline renewable permitting. Scored 5.
Dossier (1 entry)
[RHETORIC] Platform: Defend EPA greenhouse-gas authority, protect clean air and water, fund climate adaptation, hold polluters accountable, and streamline renewable permitting.
Care for creation is a moral obligation, not a political preference. The earth belongs to all, and environmental degradation is a form of injustice that disproportionately harms the poor. Climate change is a moral crisis requiring urgent collective action (Laudato Si §§24–26, 49–52; Laudate Deum).
Foreign Wars & InterventionsPrudential · 1×Tier 4 rhetoricScore4.3/5
Assessment
Issue score: 4.33.
CST Reasoning
War must follow the principles of Just War Theory. Deliberately killing civilians and using disproportionate force are always wrong. The justice of a conflict is a prudential judgment, and CST strongly favors diplomacy, civilian protection, and restraint. Diplomacy First, support for Ukraine's self-defense, sustaining NATO, and a strong but restrained defense posture. Scored 4: aligned with the teaching's preference for diplomacy and restraint. Opposes the war in Iran, supports halting offensive arms transfers while also backing the defensive Iron Dome, however, is "unsure" on the Block the Bombs Act (web-verified). Scored 4: supports restraint, but remains hesitant on specific legislation. Furthermore, his stance has shifted from non-committal in January to committed by May. The only NY-12 candidate fully opposed to a war with Iran, opposing the $200B supplemental and the $1.5T defense budget (web-verified). Scored 5: unambiguous opposition to a new war and to expanded war-making capacity, directly aligning with the restraint commended by CST.
Dossier (3 entries)
[RHETORIC] Platform: Diplomacy First, support for Ukraine's self-defense, sustaining NATO, and a strong but restrained defense posture.
[RHETORIC] Opposes the war in Iran, supports halting offensive arms transfers while backing the defensive Iron Dome; "unsure" on the Block the Bombs Act (web-verified).
[RHETORIC] The only NY-12 candidate fully opposed to a war with Iran, opposing the $200B supplemental and the $1.5T defense budget (web-verified).
War is permissible only as a last resort, when all peaceful means have been exhausted, and only when conducted with strict proportionality and discrimination between combatants and civilians. Arms sales without humanitarian conditionality are complicit in unjust violence (CCC 2309; Gaudium et Spes §§78–82; Compendium §§438–442).
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