Far-left New York City Councilman Chi Ossé filed paperwork Monday to challenge House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries for his Brooklyn congressional seat, setting up a primary contest that could divide the Democratic Party’s establishment and socialist wings.

Ossé, 27, is a democratic socialist and early supporter of New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani.

His decision to run comes despite Mamdani and national Democratic leaders urging him not to mount a challenge.

The primary is expected to force Jeffries, 55, to focus resources on retaining his seat while the party campaigns to retake the House majority in next year’s midterm elections.

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“The Democratic Party’s leadership is not only failing to effectively fight back against [President] Donald Trump, they have also failed to deliver a vision that we can all believe in,” Ossé said in a statement obtained by Axios.

Reports had circulated for weeks that Ossé was considering the race following Mamdani’s rapid rise to the mayor’s office.

However, Mamdani has reportedly advised Ossé to forgo a challenge, concerned that the campaign could strain his own relationship with party leadership when he assumes office.

Both Mamdani and Ossé are members of the Democratic Socialists of America.

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Ossé is an openly gay black man who grew up practicing a Japanese sect of Buddhism.

Jeffries, who belongs to a black Baptist church, is viewed as more closely aligned with the district’s older and more traditional black voting base.

While previous elections in New York have shown that left-wing challengers can defeat senior Democratic incumbents, early indicators suggest Ossé faces a difficult path.

A private poll reported by City & State in September showed Jeffries with 72% support in a head-to-head matchup, compared to Ossé’s 21%.

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The poll also found that half of respondents had not heard of Ossé, indicating unknown but potentially expandable support.

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) responded to the filing by highlighting divisions inside the Democratic Party.

NRCC spokesman Mike Marinella said in a statement, “The far-left takeover of the Democrat Party is complete.

Hakeem Jeffries bent the knee to Zohran Mamdani, and Mamdani’s best friend immediately turned around and launched a primary against him. That’s how weak their ‘leader’ really is.”

Jeffries has shown frustration when questioned by reporters about a possible primary challenge. In October, he dismissed the topic when asked whether he took the idea seriously.

“If you ask me a serious question, I’ll give you a serious answer,” Jeffries said.

“And you know that’s not a serious question based on everything coming out of Brooklyn.”

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Ossé’s campaign marks the latest test of the Democratic Party’s internal divisions as a younger, farther-left faction continues to press challenges against long-serving incumbents.

The primary is expected to draw national attention as the Democratic leader navigates a direct challenge from inside his own political base.

 

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