Election Q&A: Meet NY-12 Candidate Caroline Shinkle

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Republican candidate Caroline Shinkle is running for Congress in District 12 in New York City's primary election on Tuesday, June 23.

Shinkle will be the only candidate on the Republican ballot for NY-12, which includes the Upper East Side, Upper West Side, Midtown, Hell’s Kitchen, Central Park, Union Square, Chelsea and Stuyvesant Town.

Ahead of the election, Patch posed several questions to Shinkle about her platform, priorities, experience, and district. See her replies below.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The following article contains information about one of several candidates who have announced their campaigns for NY-12 in the 2026 primary election. Patch has contacted the other candidates with the same questions and will post replies as they are received. None of what Shinkle said during this interview has been fact-checked.

PATCH: What neighborhood are you from?

SHINKLE: Midtown Manhattan.

PATCH: What languages do you speak?

SHINKLE: English and French, and fluent in Economics and American taxpayer.

PATCH: What’s your professional and educational background?

SHINKLE: I earned my undergraduate degree from MIT (Bachelor of Science in Economics & Minors in Management and French) and my law degree from Harvard Law School (JD).

I’ve worked in central banking around the world and here at home—my professional experience spans the Federal Reserve Board of Governors in Washington, D.C., the European Central Bank in Frankfurt, the Bank for International Settlements in Basel, and the Bank of Israel in Jerusalem. Post-law school, I’ve practiced corporate law at a leading international law firm in Manhattan.

PATCH: Renter or owner?

SHINKLE: I rent in the city.

PATCH: The cost of living in NYC is going up. What’s your plan to make New York City more affordable?

SHINKLE: I will improve the affordability of New York City by addressing the root cause of the problem: by offering legislation tuned to reducing tax on work, driving down the cost of money, incentivizing productivity, curing inflation, and balancing the federal budget. Each of these policies is essential to not further debasing the value of the U.S. dollar, which in itself is a key driver of affordability. I will also strategically cut the overburdensome regulatory framework that is driving up the cost of energy and adversely impacting the supply of housing. The cost of electricity in New York should be well below the national average.

There is no reason why New York City cannot benefit from the economies of scale inherent in its large population. The cost of living should be lower here because we have a larger population base through which to defray costs. Many years of failed bureaucratic thinking has poisoned the efficiency of the New York City economic model. For far too long, we’ve all been conditioned to tolerate the “New York price” and expect high crime, waste, and corruption. I will incentivize work by rewarding work and reducing cost transfers from earned income. Poor public policy, resulting in cost transfers from the pockets of the American worker, are squeezing the people who have built and maintain this city. This failure ends now.

PATCH: What is your position on bike lane expansion and street redesigns?

SHINKLE: It depends on where they are. We should focus on integrating high-tech traffic management systems and eliminating the traffic congestion charges. Recreational bike lanes should be accommodated in recreational areas, but not at the expense of traffic flow efficiency in Manhattan. We don’t have bicycles on the interstate highway system for a reason. The same logic should apply to the major traffic arteries in the city. We should explore whether our buses can be further redesigned to more efficiently load recreational bicycles. We should not seek to become a third-world city.

The driver of street redesigns on primary traffic arteries in the city should be optimized to accommodate the most efficient movement of car/truck and bus traffic flow. This should include the restriction of bicycle traffic on major thoroughfares during peak rush-hour time windows. However, bike lanes in residential areas should be okay within reason. Let the residents in each neighborhood be the final voice.

PATCH: List two ways you plan to make New York safer.

SHINKLE: 1) Support our men and women in blue while developing a rapid removal process for failed prosecutors who have a record of politicizing their job as prosecutors; 2) Support federal law enforcement and their mission of enforcing our federal immigration laws to remove the worst of the worst criminals from our streets and communities.

PATCH: What are your thoughts on the buffer zone bills sparked by protests in the borough?

SHINKLE: These measures are important, especially if the target is not a public entity. Many of today’s protests appear to not be organic and appear to be underwritten by people and organizations that should be held accountable for any crimes or property damage that occur at the protest sites. The Delaney Park ICE protests come to mind. Perhaps a sufficiently large damage insurance policy should be required from the so-called activists in advance of all planned non-organic protests. The hardworking American taxpayer should not have to pay for the damage created by these activists.

PATCH: What type of relationship will you have with the Trump administration?

SHINKLE: I will seek to have a positive working relationship with the Trump Administration, as I will with any administration and any lawmaker and leader who is willing to come to the table to advance the interests of New York City. I will seek to leverage this working relationship to deliver critical federal funding for my district and deliver positive performance for my constituents, rather than being singularly focused on impeachment and obstruction from day 1 and accomplishing nothing productive.

PATCH: What sets you apart from the other candidates?

SHINKLE: I actually have the background, experience, and knowledge to deliver on the critical quality of life issues facing my district. I have been told that I am the most qualified person running in NY-12 by far; I am the only common-sense candidate on the ballot; I am the only Republican on the ballot. I built my career in the private sector and at the intersection of law, finance, economics, and regulation. I am not in the pocket of any special interests.

I am seeking support from all constituents of NY-12, regardless of political affiliation. Therefore, I will remain accessible and open-minded in my approach as I work on behalf of all of us in the district. I represent common sense and will legislate accordingly. I am the only candidate on the ballot who will not take this seat for granted, if elected, and who will not attempt to hang on for the next 34 years. As a Republican in NY-12, I realize that I can be easily replaced in this district if I do not perform as promised. My being elected will guarantee a very active, vibrant Democratic primary candidate process for this district for as long as I am in office, which is good for our democracy and our district. If any of my opponents is elected, this process will likely be dead for at least three more decades.

PATCH: What local experience most shaped your politics?

SHINKLE: Like most Americans, I’ve spent the majority of my life working hard, keeping my head down, paying taxes, paying into the system… doing the “right” things. And I am so proud to live and work in Manhattan—in New York City, the greatest city in the world. But the election of a socialist mayor last November to represent the center of global capitalism was a bridge too far. I truly believe that election was a function of not having the right choices on the ballot. I am running to give New Yorkers a real choice on the ballot. A choice rooted in common sense, economic empowerment.

The mayor is driving out businesses and families at a record rate, increasing taxes on residents, and creating failure. My opponents have consistently doubled down on failure, and it doesn’t matter which one of them prevails in their primary. They will continue to vote the same failed record that has led to an out-of-control cost of living, rising antisemitism, high crime, high taxes, rampant fraud, and corruption. Our city needs to rebuild its economic infrastructure. We need to restore it. And we need to send the world a message that there is hope in preserving Manhattan as the center of global economic enterprise. I am in this race to offer a common-sense alternative to crazy. It’s not political, it’s common sense.

For questions, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.