New York City Council member Chi Ossé, a 26-year-old Democratic Socialist and Gen Z politician, has filed paperwork to primary House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries in 2026, despite recently saying he had no interest in Congress. His move could be a major problem for Democrats in that it could kick off a Democratic Party civil war in New York, as it pits the party’s far-left wing against its establishment amid broad Democratic gains in the 2025 off-year elections.
Both Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, fellow Democratic Socialists, publicly distanced themselves from the challenge, with AOC calling it a bad idea and Mamdani reportedly having urged Ossé not to run. Ossé justified his reversal by declaring the current political moment “a dire situation.”
Messaging from the young activist has been mixed. Off the jump, he said, “It would take a very dire situation in order for me to even consider spending the rest of my 20s in DC. Just to be clear, I’m not running for Congress,” but Ossé soon pivoted, claiming, “[It] seems like we’re in a dire situation.”
When she initially heard the news, Cortez sought to distance herself from the situation and the potential chaos that it will cause. After claiming she was “not aware” of Ossé’s challenge, she noted, “But I certainly don’t think a primary challenge to the leader is a good idea right now.”
Offering another discouraging message to the potentially ascendant Democratic Socialist congressional hopeful, AOC later told reporters, “I love Chi and respect his voice, but right now we need to be unifying, not dividing. A primary against the leader two years out is not the move.”
Similarly unconvinced, NYC mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani discouraged the young activist. “I believe that there are many ways right here in New York City to both deliver on an affordability agenda and take on the authoritarian administration in the White House,” the self-described socialist said.
Building on this message, Mamdani noted, “Chi is my brother and comrade, but I told him privately and I’ll say publicly: this energy is better spent holding the new Trump administration accountable from City Hall than in a two-year congressional primary.”
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Likewise, even the NYC DSA co-chair, Devin McMarck, tried to discourage Chi’s run. Doing so, he claimed, “This is exactly the wrong fight at the wrong time. We just won the NYC mayoralty — let’s govern and build power instead of burning it in a circular firing squad.”
Attacking Jeffries on his official webpage, Chi Ossé noted, “I’m running for Congress because the people of NY-08 deserve a representative who will fight for them every single day — not just when it’s politically convenient.” Echoing the same sentiments on social media, he tweeted, “Hakeem Jeffries has been a corporate Democrat for far too long. We need working-class fighters in leadership, not fundraisers for the status quo.”
Behind the scenes, Democrats were even more cutthroat. An anonymous Democratic leader said, “If you’re mad that Jeffries dragged his feet endorsing Zohran, I get it. But primarying the first Black Democratic Leader while Trump is president again? Come on.”
Despite all the uproar, Jeffries seems unbothered. “Leader Jeffries is focused on winning back the House majority in 2026 and holding Donald Trump accountable. He welcomes all Democratic voters to the process,” his website noted.