Meet Caroline Shinkle, a Republican Candidate Running to Represent the UWS in Congress

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:

Subscribe to West Side Rag’s FREE email newsletter here. And you can Support the Rag here.

Share this article: