ACT UP NY CANDIDATE SCORECARD: NINA SCHWALBE, MPH, PhD EARNS TOP MARKS AMONG CANDIDATES
Male candidates fall short as Nina Schwalbe, MPH, PhD earns top score
For Immediate Release - June 2, 2026
NEW YORK, NY — ACT UP New York today released its candidate scorecard evaluating ten candidates on seven key policy issues, with Dr.Nina Schwalbe earning the highest overall score in the field.
Dr.Schwalbe received six “A” grades across seven categories evaluated: Medicare for all, abolishing ICE, ending military aid to Israel, abortion without restrictions, a free PrEP program and funding for PEPFAR, protections for gender-affirming care, and protections against discrimination for LGBTQ+ people.
Alex Bores, who has been endorsed by the Stonewall Democratic Club of New York City, the leading citywide LGBTQ+ political club and Equality New York PAC: a statewide grassroots organization dedicated to advancing the lives of LGBTQIA+ New Yorkers and their families, ranked 4th among the candidates. Bores received a grade of C for “A Free PrEP Program” and an F for “Ending Aid to Israel.”
Jack Schlossberg earned mixed marks, scoring well on abortion rights and immigration enforcement but receiving failing grades on ending military aid to Israel and mediocre C grades on gender-affirming care and PrEP/PEPFAR funding — a particularly alarming gap for a candidate courting progressive and LGBTQ+ voters.
Micah Lasher tells a similar story. Despite an A grade on immigration, Lasher failed on Israel military aid as well as PrEP and PEPFAR funding — programs that have saved millions of lives globally and remain under existential threat.
George Conway received failing grades on all seven issues evaluated — a sweeping rejection of every priority ACT UP New York stands for, from healthcare access to LGBTQ+ equality to global AIDS funding.
No other democratic candidate in the field matched Dr.Schwalbe's across-the-board performance. The ACT UP NY scorecard exposes frontrunners' failures on HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ+ issues.
ACT UP New York is a diverse, non-partisan group committed to direct action to end the AIDS crisis and fight for health justice for all. ACT UP New York urges voters to consult the full scorecard before casting their ballot.
Find ACT UP NY’s scorecard here.
Contact: press@ninafornyc.org
NINA SCHWALBE, MPH, PhD PUBLISHES OP-ED LAYING OUT HEALTHCARE VISION AND CASE FOR CONGRESS
Public health leader calls for immediate action on Medicaid, SNAP, and drug pricing as candidate for NY-12
For Immediate Release - June 2, 2026
NEW YORK, NY — Nina Schwalbe, MPH, PhD Democratic candidate for New York's 12th Congressional District, today published an op-ed making the case for her candidacy and unveiling details of her signature "Healthy People, Healthy Democracy Act" — the legislation she pledges to introduce on her first day in Congress.
The op-ed, published on June 2, 2026 in the New York Daily News, opens with an urgent warning: nearly 43,500 New Yorkers face losing food assistance this week as the Trump administration's new SNAP work requirements hit their first deadline. Approximately 40% of those at risk are young adults between 18 and 30.
Dr.Schwalbe, a veteran public health leader, argues that proposed Medicaid cuts could strip coverage from up to 1.5 million New Yorkers, drain $13.5 billion from the state's healthcare economy, and force hospitals and nursing homes to close — all while Congress delivers $4.5 trillion in tax cuts to corporations and the wealthy.
"The difference between countries that protect their people's health and those that don't isn't money or knowledge. It's political will," Dr.Schwalbe writes. "That's the change I'll bring through my Day-One bill."
Her proposed legislation would lower drug costs by expanding Medicare negotiation authority, expand community health centers, protect and grow Medicare and Medicaid, gradually lower the Medicare eligibility age toward a universal single-payer system, and fully restore SNAP benefits.
Dr.Schwalbe points to her career track record as evidence she can deliver: she brought the price of the cervical cancer vaccine down 65% from the lowest available price for the world's poorest countries and led a $7 billion federal initiative delivering lifesaving medicines to hundreds of millions of people.
"Voting to restore funding is the easy part," she writes. "The hard part is knowing what to do after — and that's where my experience fits the bill."
Dr.Schwalbe is running in the Democratic primary for the 12th Congressional District, which covers Manhattan from 14th Street to the northern end of Central Park.
Read the full op-ed: New York Daily News
Learn more: https://www.ninafornyc.com/healthy-people-healthy-democracy-act
Contact: press@ninafornyc.org
FORMER STATE SENATOR TOM DUANE ENDORSES NINA SCHWALBE, MPH, PhD FOR NEW YORK'S 12TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT
Trailblazing LGBTQ+ rights champion backs public health leader in crowded June 23 Democratic primary
For Immediate Release - June 2, 2026
NEW YORK, NY — The campaign of Nina Schwalbe, MPH, PhD for New York's 12th Congressional District today announced the endorsement of former New York State Senator Tom Duane, a pioneering figure in Manhattan Democratic politics and one of the most respected progressive voices in the state's history.
Duane, who represented a large swath of Manhattan — including Chelsea, the West Village, Hell's Kitchen, the Upper West Side, Stuy Town, Peter Cooper Village, Waterside Plaza, and Midtown and the Theater District — from 1999 to 2012, was the first openly gay and openly HIV-positive member of the New York State Senate. He was also the lead sponsor of New York's Marriage Equality Act and the prime Senate sponsor of the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA) — which finally became law in 2019 — leaving a legacy of advocacy for LGBTQ+ New Yorkers, people living with HIV/AIDS, tenants, and working families.
"Nina Schwalbe, MPH, PhD is exactly the kind of leader New York's 12th District needs right now," said Senator Duane. "She is a brilliant, fearless public health expert who has dedicated her life to fixing broken systems and protecting vulnerable people — which is exactly what Congress needs to be doing. I've known this district for decades, and I know Nina will fight for every single person in it."
Dr.Schwalbe, a sixth-generation New Yorker and public health scientist, holds a PhD in public health from the University of the Witwatersrand and has spent her career managing multi-billion-dollar vaccine programs for the U.S. government and the United Nations. She advised New York City and governments worldwide on their COVID-19 response and, if elected, would be the only Democrat in Congress with a doctorate in public health.
"I am deeply honored to have Tom Duane's endorsement," said Dr.Schwalbe. "Tom spent his career in the exact communities I'm running to represent, fighting for tenants, for LGBTQ+ New Yorkers, for people living with HIV/AIDS, and for anyone the system had left behind. That is the spirit I will bring to Congress."
Dr.Schwalbe is one of eight candidates running in the Democratic primary for New York's 12th Congressional District, the open seat left by the retirement of longtime incumbent Rep. Jerrold Nadler after 34 years in office.
The primary is scheduled for June 23, 2026.
Contact: press@ninafornyc.org
THE EXPERTISE WASHINGTON IS MISSING: SCHWALBE PUBLISHES ON MEASLES AND AI IN GLOBAL HEALTH
NY-12 Candidate's New Articles Address the Measles Emergency and the Future of AI in Global Health
For Immediate Release - April 16, 2026
NEW YORK, NY — Nina Schwalbe, MPH, PhD, Democratic candidate for New York's 12th Congressional District, today published two new pieces in major outlets, underscoring why her public health expertise is urgently needed in Congress.
In The Telegraph, Dr.Schwalbe wrote "Explosive Measles Cases: A Sign of Things to Come," explaining that the alarming surge in measles infections is not an isolated crisis but a warning signal of a weakening public health infrastructure — one that demands immediate and serious attention from lawmakers. Read the article here.
In the peer-reviewed journal PLOS Digital Health, Schwalbe co-authored "Artificial Intelligence for Research Capacity Strengthening: Two Reviews and a Pathway to Shift Power in Global Health," a rigorous examination of how AI tools can — and must — be deployed to build research capacity in under-resourced settings and to rebalance power in global health systems. Read the article here.
"Today I'm writing about a 19th-century disease making a comeback and a 21st-century technology reshaping global health. Both stories have the same problem: a government that stopped listening to scientists. I'm done watching from the sidelines,” Schwalbe said.
Dr.Schwalbe has spent decades leading at the intersection of science, policy, and action — steering a $7 billion USAID initiative that delivered more than 500 million COVID vaccines, negotiating landmark reductions in the price of the cervical cancer vaccine, and advising the New York City Mayor's office during the pandemic.
Dr.Schwalbe is the only candidate in the NY-12 race with this depth of policy experience.
The sixth-generation New Yorker spent the evening of April 15 protesting the exclusion of half of the field of primary candidates from a “NY-12 for Congress: Candidate Forum” held at the 92nd Street Y on the Upper East Side.
"My opponents can tell you what's wrong in Washington. I provide the policy fix. That's the difference between talking about a crisis and knowing how to end one."
The primary election is June 23, 2026.
Contact: press@ninafornyc.org
The Lancet Profiles Congressional Candidate Nina Schwalbe as a Leading Global Health Voice for U.S. Congress
Prestigious international medical journal spotlights Schwalbe’s decades of global health leadership and her campaign to bring public health expertise back to Congress
For Immediate Release - April 3, 2026
NEW YORK, NY — Nina Schwalbe, Democratic candidate for New York’s 12th Congressional District, is the subject of a major profile published April 2, 2026, in The Lancet, one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious medical journals. The profile highlights Schwalbe’s extraordinary career in global health and her urgent call to restore scientific expertise and evidence-based leadership to the U.S. Congress.
The profile details Schwalbe’s trajectory from witnessing a measles outbreak at the Ban Vinai refugee camp in Thailand, which first drew her to public health, to leading vaccine procurement and delivery programs that reached more than 100 countries. Her career has spanned senior roles at UNICEF, Gavi the Vaccine Alliance, USAID, the Open Society Foundations, and the TB Alliance. At USAID, she founded and served as the first Director of the COVID-19 Vaccine Access and Delivery Initiative.
“I’m running because we are in deep trouble, and we can do better,” Schwalbe said. “We don’t have any congressional expertise in public health. This administration is fueling disinformation, propagating false science, stopping vaccine programs, denying climate change, slashing health and education programs. We urgently need to restore the CDC, the NIH, the FDA, and all the underlying infrastructure, talent, and expertise that keep us safe.”
The Lancet profile features tributes from global leaders across health and government. Former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark praised Schwalbe’s “transformative leadership,” noting her track record at Gavi in cutting the cost of lifesaving medicines for the world’s poorest. Gavi CEO Sania Nishtar described her as “an astute strategic thinker as well as a passionate advocate” with a record of lasting impact. WHO’s Director of Sexual and Reproductive Health Pascale Allotey called her “a consistent and principled champion of equity, gender equality, and social justice” who combines intellectual precision with deep moral clarity.
Schwalbe holds a PhD from the University of the Witwatersrand and a Master of Public Health degree from Columbia University. She is a Senior Scholar at Georgetown University’s Center for Global Health Policy & Politics and founder of Spark Street Advisors, a think tank advisory service. Her family has lived in New York’s 12th Congressional District for six generations. Schwalbe is running in a competitive Democratic primary field. The primary is scheduled for June 23.
“This moment demands new leadership that protects what matters, rebuilds stronger, and prepares for tomorrow,” Schwalbe said. “Our current administration is destroying health and trust in science, and there is no leadership in Congress stopping it. I will stand up for health, for science, and for democracy.”
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About Nina Schwalbe
Nina Schwalbe is a global health expert and Democratic candidate for New York’s 12th Congressional District. She has spent her career working to expand access to medicines and vaccines, negotiate lower drug prices for low-income nations, and build the global health infrastructure that keeps communities safe. She holds a PhD and MPH in public health and has worked in nearly 100 countries. Learn more at ninafornyc.com.
Contact: press@ninafornyc.org
Congress must stop Trump’s Unauthorized War: Statement by Congressional Candidate Nina Schwalbe on the US military attack on Iran
For Immediate Release - March 4, 2026
For the second time in two months, Donald Trump has launched an unconstitutional military action against a foreign state without congressional approval.
His justifications for this attack have been directly contradicted by the Defense Intelligence Agency and Pentagon officials, cementing the fact that this is nothing more than an unjustified war of aggression. In no uncertain terms, this is a horrific crime—one that will result in the needless deaths of Iranians, Americans, and people across the Middle East as this conflict escalates.
Our military is the most powerful force on the planet, and it is currently being wielded without checks or oversight by an erratic man willing to use it to settle personal vendettas, with no concern for the cost in human life beyond its impact on his own approval ratings.
I have worked in war zones and refugee camps around the world, and have seen firsthand the consequences of unchecked, irrational violence on human life, especially children. One deadly strike at a girls’ school in Minab has already led to the reported deaths of 165 people, most of them girls aged 7 to 12, and that count is growing. This president made a deliberate choice. He cut PEPFAR — which has saved 26 million lives — and dismantled USAID, which delivered food, clean water, and emergency medicine to hundreds of millions of people around the world. And instead he chose to start a war that takes lives instead of saving them.
"If Congress does not act immediately to pass the Khanna-Massie War Powers Resolution to block this unauthorized war, then it is complicit — not only in the current violence, but in every future attack this president, emboldened by inaction, may commit. I call on Representative Hakeem Jeffries to whip every Democratic vote, and on Senator Chuck Schumer to bring the Senate companion resolution to the floor immediately. The Democratic establishment must hold the line. Anything less is a dereliction.
Contact: press@ninafornyc.org
Democrat Nina Schwalbe, public health leader, takes on DC’s political establishment as she files to run in NY-12 primary.
New York, January 9, 2026. -- Driven by the recklessness of the current administration and the failure of the political establishment to stop it, New York health expert and activist Nina Schwalbe has declared herself as a candidate for the open Congressional seat in NY-12.
Nina is a renowned public health leader, vaccine scientist and advocate who has focused her career on fixing broken systems so people can live better, healthier and more affordable lives.
Because of this administration’s failure, America is once again seeing outbreaks of measles and whooping cough, long thought to be vanquished in the US by modern medicine.
“My family has lived in district 12 for six generations. I grew up and gave birth to my two sons here. I cared for my parents as they died here. District 12 is my home,” said Schwalbe.
Nina is a strong negotiator, with “Day One” competence, who gets things done. She has overseen complex institutions, managed large teams and budgets, and delivered public programs to improve people’s daily lives and livelihoods. She is also a small business owner.
In her decades of work across public and private sectors, Nina’s focus has been fixing broken systems. From managing multi-billion-dollar vaccine programs for the US Government and the United Nations to advising New York City and governments around the world on their COVID-19 response, Nina has achieved measurable results, strengthened accountability, and saved lives. If elected, Nina would be the only Democrat in Congress with a PhD in public health.
“Washington is systematically dismantling our democracy, putting New York, America, and the world at risk and Congress is failing to stop it.” says Schwalbe. “This administration is fueling disinformation, propagates false science, and has cut even the most basic services. The list is endless and the attack relentless - stopping vaccine programs, denying climate change, slashing the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid, Medicare, housing and education, bringing fear to communities through unlawful immigration policies, and attacking basic rights. At a time when more and more New Yorkers are struggling with costs, the situation is going from bad to worse.”
Nina will work to restore congressional oversight and funding. “Under this administration, the federal government has taken an ax to our rights - destroying the very systems designed to protect us. We deserve better leadership in Congress. Congress has abdicated its oversight role to solve our nation’s most serious problems and protect the well-being of its citizens starting by carrying out the programs it mandates,” says Schwalbe. “The attack against health is a blatant example of the neglect, ignorance, and malice we face. As an example, the federal government’s job is to decide what vaccines are available at our local pharmacies; guarantee the medicines we take are safe and effective; and stop deadly viruses before they reach New York. When it fails to do its job, as is the case now, we are all more vulnerable.
“I am running for Congress because this moment demands new leadership that protects what matters, rebuilds stronger, and prepares for tomorrow. It's pretty straightforward. Our government is not doing its job. That needs to change, starting now.”
The Nina for NYC campaign has already raised over $200,000 with no corporate PAC money. As a first-time candidate without an existing donor list, this represents a strong start for a competitive race.
Learn more about Nina Schwalbe and www.ninafornyc.com
Contact: press@ninafornyc.org