By Scott Etkin
West Side Rag has already published four interviews with candidates running to fill Rep. Jerrold Nadler’s seat in Congress. This latest addition to the series is a conversation with Republican candidate Caroline Shinkle, a corporate lawyer with a background in economics.
For the past five years, Shinkle has done mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, and financial regulatory work at the law firm Cravath, Swaine & Moore. Previously, she had internships at financial institutions, including the Bank of Israel, the Federal Reserve Board, and the European Central Bank.
Shinkle was motivated to run for the seat – her first attempt at a public office – due to concerns about “the future of our city.”
“New York City is the center of global capitalism,” she said. “We have to make sure it stays that way. It cannot become the center of global socialism.”
Shinkle moved to New York City in 2020 after graduating from Harvard Law School.
“It’s funny, I’ve paid a lifetime’s worth of taxes in New York City, since then,” she said.
Cutting taxes and shrinking the size of government are major parts of her agenda. She describes these priorities in the following interview – which has been lightly edited for length and clarity – along with her views on immigration, the war in Iran, and more.
WSR: If elected, what would be the first bill you would want to sponsor?
Shinkle: Day one, no tax on work. I want to eliminate the federal income tax on W2 wages. Why? Because work is good. Productivity is good. Any student of economics will tell you that we tax things that are bad. We tax things to discourage that behavior. And so, again, I think work is good, and we want to empower people to build their careers and build prosperity for themselves and their families. So we want to get the government out of the way [and] protect people’s paychecks.
[I] also want to couple that with a dramatic reduction in the size of government. I’m in favor of balanced budget amendments. I’m in favor of zero-based budgeting, and I’m also in favor of creating the conditions for people to make it easier for people to start their own businesses and meet that increased demand with supply of goods and services in the economy.
WSR: What government agencies or programs are you in favor of cutting?
Shinkle: I think there’s a lot of bloat and fraud in the government. I think there’s been a lot of uncovering of corrosion across the board of our national safety net, and we certainly cannot institutionalize that if we hope to prosper as a country for the next 250 years.
I think the [department] of Homeland Security, that’s something we don’t want to cut. When we have people in Washington and members of the New York delegation voting right now to not fund Homeland Security, I think as a New Yorker that is voting directly against the interests of New York City. I think New York City [is] the beacon of opportunity for the world, and we are, for better or for worse, the number one target when it comes to external threats to this country. So we really need to be voting in the best interest of New York City, and that’s important to me.
WSR: Let’s talk about immigration. What’s your approach to this issue in general, and what do you think the role of ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] should be in New York City?
Shinkle: I think what we’re dealing with right now is trying to address the problem that we had from open borders over the last presidential administration, and so ICE is dealing with that issue. I think, unfortunately, ICE has been politicized. ICE is enforcing federal law. And so I think on the issue of immigration, we need to focus on getting those individuals who are most dangerous in our society, who are here illegally, out of the country.
Then in terms of other individuals who are here, who are working hard, who are wanting to contribute to our economy, I think we can have a conversation about how to address those people, but we can’t reward failure, and we can’t reward people who broke the law to come here illegally, but we can have a conversation about how to address that in the most productive manner.
WSR: If elected, who are some current members of Congress you respect who you would look forward to working with?
Shinkle: I’m willing to work with anybody for the good of Manhattan and the people of NY-12. And I think at the end of the day, that’s what the people of NY-12 want. They want somebody in Washington who’s going to develop common sense, pragmatic approaches to deliver positive performance and really elevate the interests of Manhattan. I think we need a Manhattan-first agenda.
I’ll work with anybody on Capitol Hill. I’m willing to work with the President. I’m willing to work with our mayor here in New York City to deliver for the people of New York. And I think a lot of other candidates in this race want to make this a race on a national referendum on personalities. I want to make this a referendum on the future of Manhattan.
WSR: Are you seeking the President’s endorsement for this seat?
Shinkle: I would accept his endorsement. I would accept the endorsement of anybody who’s willing to work with me to put Manhattan’s interests and the people of NY-12 first.
WSR: Recently the headlines have been dominated by the war in Iran – do you support what’s happened so far, and would you support troops being deployed on the ground?
Shinkle: For 47 years, they have been destabilizing the region, and they are the number one state sponsor of terrorism worldwide. So Iran cannot ever develop nuclear capabilities. And what we’re doing right now is trying to address that issue at the root source.
New York City [is] the center of global capitalism, and we are always the number one target. So again, the members of our New York delegation in Washington who are voting to not fund Homeland Security right now in light of what is going on overseas in Iran, I think that’s very dangerous [and] voting directly against the interests of the people of New York City.
WSR: The Upper West Side is traditionally a heavily Democratic neighborhood. What’s your message to voters who usually vote Democrat?
Shinkle: My message really is that the sort of core issues that I’m running on, I believe, are non-partisan. And at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what our labels are, what political party we belong to. We all want the same things. This is true not just in New York City, but really across the country. This is what I found to be the case – people want opportunity, prosperity, safety and normalcy for themselves and their families.
I think my message of economic empowerment and really creating the conditions to allow people to build a future here in New York City, really the Empire State. I think that should resonate with everybody. And I want to create the conditions economically to allow people to build whether it’s a company, a career, a family, or a future. And I think again, that message will resonate with everybody.
WSR: What are some favorite spots on the Upper West Side?
Shinkle: One place I particularly love to go is Cafe Fiorello. I like to go there before I go to a performance or a show at Lincoln Center. I really love their penne alla vodka – gluten-free, of course. I became allergic to gluten when I was in law school, unfortunately. So that has ruined a lot of the amazing pizza in the city for me, but you can still find some great gluten-free options. And to be honest, I love spending time in the park. Walking along the Upper West Side in the park is always beautiful.
WSR: Final question: What’s your 30-second elevator pitch to voters?
Shinkle: I would say, take a look at your current reality, crime, cost of living, socialism, antisemitism. If you’re happy with the status quo, maybe I’m not your girl. But if you are looking to really address these issues, I think we have to do something differently. I think most of the other candidates running in this race are offering sort of the same failed policies, the same failed thinking that won’t address these issues. If you really want to fix those problems at the root source, I’m your person. And again, I’m running to represent everybody in NY-12 – Republicans, Democrats, Independents. I want to be your champion.
To learn more about Shinkle’s campaign, click HERE.
Read more about candidates for the District 12 congressional seat:
- A WSR Conversation With Candidate Laura Dunn in the Race to Represent the UWS in Congress
- Meet Karen Ortiz, an Independent Candidate Running to Represent the UWS in Congress
- Meet the UES Candidate Running to Represent Both the UES and UWS in Congress
- A WSR Conversation With Candidate Nina Schwalbe in the Race to Represent the UWS in Congress
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She wants to eliminate the federal income tax. I stopped reading right there.
She’s dead wrong in saying that taxing for the purpose of achieving a public objective — she highlights sin taxes — is good economics. Sure it’s done widely (e.g., to discourage alcohol consumption or to encourage home-ownership through mortgage-interest deductibility). But it’s terrible economics. It introduces all sorts of distortions into the tax code and encourages, even among honest tax payers, tax-avoidance maneuvers that otherwise make no economic sense. It also makes tax-filing crazily complicated. The income tax should be used for one purpose: to raise revenue to fund the government. Further, I assume that Shinkle would agree that the government needs some source of revenue. What that might be, she doesn’t say, at least not in this interview.
She wants to eliminate taxes on W-2 income. There are other forms of income—dividends, partnership distributions, capital gains—that are also covered by federal income tax. It is an interesting idea, and if it is coupled with reducing spending, it could help NYC and the country grow jobs, provide living wages, and greater opportunity.
I’m intrigued but disappointed that she didn’t specify what programs she would cut. Is she a fan of DOGE?
Her vagueness on this is a problem.
She explained nothing about the consequences of her policies. A hollow echo.
Vagueness is not the problem. Every “progressive” candidate profiled here is going to work on “labor,” “affordability,” “education,” etc etc – with virtually zero detail.
The problem is that she’s unseasoned and unelectable.
I was going to make that comment also. Republicans LOVE to claim there is ‘bloat and fraud in the government’ – why can’t she name anything she would cut? Why didn’t DOGE find any?
The truth is that federal spending has a constituency and they never want to make the hard choices that seriously cutting spending would imply (ie cutting Medicare or the defense budget where most of the spending is). She’s got a great resume, but eliminating income tax is not a serious proposal… maybe she’s auditioning for a Fox News spot?
We can also increase federal spending to provide enough money to force the MTA to end congestion pricing.
DOGE found plenty of waste fraud and abuse. What it also found was a big piece of that fuels campaign contributions and foreign interests.
A long shot of course, but it’s encouraging to hear another POV from a young candidate.
And if that POV is delusional?
Has opposed to Mamdani?
Its always considered delusional when it doesn’t fit your ideology right? I mean, you guys brought us your Mamdani, so talking about delusional.
Then par for the course. We already listen to Bernie Sanders, AOC and Elizabeth Warren daily.
Yes, because the delusions of the anti-war (actually Americans First) party is on par with the Americans Last/War First MAGA crowd.
perfect.
Right, being against invading Iraq, the war with Iran, for single payer medical, for breaking up big banks: Delusional. /s
First one is the most popular politician in the US, fwiw
No, work is not automatically good and productive for society, eg most corporate law.
Furthermore, she’s not in favor of an FT tax, so she’s not serious.
The pizza at Cafe Fiorello tastes like the crust in held together with Crisco.
What is an FT tax?
Financial Transaction tax, existed until early 1960s.
She’s an Ohio transplant so I guess that explains it
Unless your family was part of Lenape territory prior to the 17th century, you too were or came from “transplant” people.
There was no USA or NYC founded by Lenape. The people that built both were founders who were white Europeans not transplants. Those are the facts.
Call me what ever you want, I stopped reading at Bank of Israel.
Yes I will call you whatever I want for that. And you deserve it.
…which should read, “underwritten by American taxpayers”
Bwahahaha. That was hilarious. She does realize that she is running on the UWS and not in rural Alabama?
I thought Cravath was an elite firm that hires the best of the best. I can’t believe they would employ someone dumb enough to run for office on the UWS with those policy positions. Talk about throwing away money. Even if I agreed with her (which I don’t), she has to know she has zero chance.
Plus her positions are ridiculous. But that is another story.
Meanwhile, Lasher has clearly started getting his Bloomberg checks as I’ve been seeing him on TV a lot during the NCAA tournament.
Sometimes it seems like rural Alabama can be more pragmatic and common sense that the social justice warrior progressives of the UWS…
Yeah my guess is it’s all a bit so she can start grifting on the MAGA podcast circuit. That’s gotta be way easier money than working at Cravath.
Now do RFK Jr.’s biggest funder Mark Gorton, who is the single largest donor to anti car causes in NYC!
She is running for congress as a Republican. Her pitch is that if you are not happy with the way things are now then you should vote for her. But right now the executive, legislative and judicial branches of the federal government are all run by Republican majorities. So it seems that if you are not happy with the way things are now that you should vote for a Democrat, just using her logic.
Another reason for me is that I disagree with just about every position she takes in this article.
New York city and state is the poster child of one party rule.
I trust you realize she’s talking about the state of affairs in NYC.
It’s hilarious, isn’t it? Republicans control the Senate, the House, the Supreme Court, and the presidency, not to mention most of the media is more than willing to go along with their agenda. And they are STILL blaming Biden and Democrats for every problem the country currently has.
Since this is a local blog, how long have Democrats run Manhattan, NYC and NY state yet the are STILL blaming Trump for every problem they have?
I was the last Republican elected official to represent Manhattan and I left office in 2002.
And you left this world over a decade ago along with the GOP that could still win in cities.
I’m a Harvard Law graduate and I’m a republican living on the UWS. We have a lot in common….but this is just not serious
Ah, hello then, I thought I was the only republican around here…
Shocked at the quality of these answers given her resume.
That shows how urbanist types who call themselves progressive look at those who are different than them as beneath them!
What a nightmare pitch. Let’s make more money
, scrap taxes, and ### those who need help
Making money, what a horror right? Its not like this city was built on such an evil ideal, right? Because we all know all these skyscrapers were built on communist economics 101… You go, comrade! Also, who needs help? Please share.
I don’t agree with everything she says but we need candidates who aren’t “progressive” clones of each other spouting the same old lefty nonsense.
I’d be open voting for Shinkle.
Oh please / no thanks
Great to hear a refreshing view point from the other side of the aisle. It’s rare on the UWS to be a conservative republican and I give her credit for taking action and accountability against fiscal irresponsibility we have become so accustomed to. Make The UWS Great Again!
What action and accountability against fiscal irresponsibility has she taken? She can’t even name the programs that she would cut.
Give me one point of fiscal responsibility that Lasher and Bores have ever engaged in
Refreshing? These are all Trump/GOP tiresome talking points. Blaming Biden for starters.
A Republican running on the UWS??? LOL, good luck!!! She could be Republican, Abe Lincoln running against Democrat, Pol Pot and Pol Pot would still win the majority. I don’t care HOW good her ideas and policies might be or how crappy her opponent’s are, she’d still lose big!
Except in this instance, given her alignment with the Rs in DC, she’s the Pol Pot. As others have noted, its one thing to throw out new ideas, but in this instance, talk about failing to read the room!
Where’s the beef??
She’s the most attractive woman in the race!
She looks troubling reminiscent of Karoline Levitt and the other Stepford women who populate the current administration. While I know one must not judge a book by its cover, in this case I am making an exception and I shan’t be giving her a further look.
That said, does anyone else have an issue where this site will not let you upvote a comment?
She’s the kind of Republican Barbie doll we don’t usually have to deal with. Obviously, a sacrificial lamb for the RP
Yes been unable to upvote for a couple of weeks now.
Good luck Caroline Shinkle. I admire your courage in entering this race. The odds are against you but fight the good fight. You have my vote. Perhaps common sense will prevail in CD12.
I am having that problem too, Glen. When I try to upvote your comment or anyone else’s, I get a red banner that says “You cannot vote for your comment.” I thought the problem was just with my account but since you are having it as well it would seem to be a Rag-wide glitch. I have reported it.
What a breath of fresh air!
This is not her first attempt at public office. she has previously run unsuccessfully for a Republican committeewoman position in Massachusetts.
Oh how I wish!
Whatplanet is she on? Does she really think that with these policies, the UWS is actually going to vote for her?
Unbelievable that she works in mergers and acquisitions yet doesn’t understand how government works (she wants to eliminate the federal income tax and is for the disastrous war in Iran–and a major Trump supporter at that).
No thank you!
By far the most accomplished, qualified and competent of all the candidates. This, of course, means she has zero chance of winning on the UWS!
Not surprised she’s a lawyer. Dresses like an extra from “Legally Blonde.”
It’s always fun to watch self-described progressives make fun of people’s looks and decide not to follow them further if they are triggered by someone’s physical appearance.
Hypocrisy thrives across the political spectrum.
A blonde in a pink skirt suit? She’s got my vote. LOL.
The Stepford Wife look HAS to be a bit LMAO
Elle Woods is auditioning for the vacancy left by the last weekend’s Fox News host. Blaming Biden was a start.
Absolute impractical, vague nonsense. I get that Republicans are allergic to the concept of taxes, but surely even they realize that things like roads, fire departments, public schools (never mind on that one, I get that they disdain education in principle), Social Security for the elderly, Medicare, and a million other things need funding from somewhere.
What am I saying? They want to get rid of all of that and privatize it for their buddies to profit off.
Perhaps privatization isn’t so bad. It’s all been publicly managed and we’ve racked up a national debt of over $38 trillion.
That debt mostly comes from wars of choice and tax cuts. Remember the debt was going down at the end od the 1990s.
Yes we’ve seen how well the privatized healthcare industry is managed in this country. The point of private businesses is to make a profit, and I don’t think the services I mentioned should be for profit.
Well, if she doesn’t gain any traction here, I’m sure FOX News can always find a place for her.
She’s correct – she’s not our girl – period!
She is too much of a fan of Trump for me, echoing some of his policies, stating she would welcome his endorsement, she does not have NYC’s interests only her own, a non starter for me.
The bar Shinkle must exceed is as low as you can go, given that NYC’s one-party rule has for too long badly failed us:
1) isn’t it time we have a Congressperson like Shinkle who sees a private-sector path to a good life for all that will win her face time with Executive branch policy-enforcers, not the back of their hand?
2) isn’t Shinkle alone in exposing and addressing the 4-year-invasion of our country by millions of unvetted individuals whose motives and means of supporting themselves and capacity for mayhem were unknown and yet were hugely funded by taxpayers?
3) Isn’t Shinkle alone in exposing the hypocrisy of massively funding a years-long war in Ukraine while melting down over a barely 3-week old operation to destroy a regime building nukes and intercontinental missiles while pledging “death to America?”
4) isn’t Shinkle alone in wanting Congress to focus on improving the lives of NYers, not bowing to Hakim’s promise to prioritize impeaching Trump, same as Dems did twice in his first term, which accomplished nothing for NY exceptTrump’s reelection?
5) isn’t Shinkle alone in demanding an end to defunding our Homeland Security Dept to punish ICE, which recklessly endangers Americans and disrupts air travel?
6) isn’t Shinkle refreshingly healthy in saying : “I make decisions in the best interests of New Yorkers, not just to fight against everything that Trump wants”?
Bloomberg was a Republican who endosed W in 2004.
Shinkle doesn’t care about most NYers.
Jeffries is already far too rightwing.
The self-righteous, judgmental commenters on here must be happy living in our city as it becomes a cess pit and global laughing stock. I, for one, am relieved to hear a young person talking about something besides “intersectionality,” “oppression,” and “antiZionism.” Sad that we have been conditioned to accept crumbs when we pay enough taxes to fund a feast.
Caroline Shinkle alone powerfully opposes the absurd notion of celebrating our country’s 250th birthday by electing a pro-socialist mayor at war with the Judeo-Christian free-market entrepreneurial values that have made our country the greatest in world history — ignoring the reality that socialism has a 100% failure rate everywhere it has been tried.
the Judeo-Christian free-market entrepreneurial values that have made our country the greatest in world history”, is this a joke?
Gee, and here I was feeling what a shame it is we’re celebrating our 250th birthday with a narcissistic dementia -addled fascist in the Oval Office, shredding the Constitution with the same disregard he displayed when slamming a wrecking ball into the side of the White House. The Federalist Papers foresaw that men like Trump would try to take power but they trusted that the American people and Congress would keep him in check. Alas.
Is she for real? Who wrote this hallow script? And why is she dressed like Barbie?