U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., is currently the minority leader in the House of Representatives and poised to become the next speaker if Democrats retake control of the House. But one young New York City politician is looking to take Jeffries’ spot before that ever happens, even as other high-profile New York progressives oppose the move to take on Jeffries.

Chi Ossé launches ideological, generational challenge to Hakeem Jeffries

Chi Ossé, a 27-year-old New York City councilman, filed Monday to run against Jeffries in the Democratic primary for the 8th District congressional seat, which covers parts of Brooklyn. Ossé, a Democratic socialist, said in a statement to Axios that “the Democratic Party’s leadership is not only failing to effectively fight back against Donald Trump, they have also failed to deliver a vision that we can all believe in.” A spokesperson for Jeffries, meanwhile, responded, “Leader Jeffries is fighting hard to lower the high cost of living, address the Republican health care crisis, combat corruption and win back control of the House for the good of the country,” per NBC News. The statement said that Jeffries and his team “welcome this primary challenge and look forward to a rigorous debate about the type of serious leadership required to deliver for the people of Brooklyn and the nation.”

Despite pitting two Black politicians against one another, the contest between Jeffries and Ossé is set to highlight the differences between the two candidates. Jeffries became House minority leader in 2023, taking over leadership of the Democratic House delegation from Rep. Nancy Pelosi. The move made Jeffries the first Black person to lead either major party in Congress. It also represented a generational shift from leaders like Pelosi, who recently announced that she is retiring from Congress at the end of her current term. The 30-year age gap between Pelosi and Jeffries is similar to the age difference between 55-year-old Jeffries and 27-year-old Ossé, potentially shaping their primary race as a generational competition.

Without top progressives’ backing, Ossé presents progressive challenge

As reflected in Ossé’s comments, his candidacy comes as parts of the Democratic base, particularly younger and more progressive voters, have become frustrated with party divisions and the party’s responses to the Trump administration and the GOP agenda dominating Washington, D.C. With the recent deal to end the 43-day government shutdown seen by some within the party as a surrender by Democrats, leaders like Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, also of New York, have faced calls to step down or to be primaried. Ossé recently spoke about the perception that the Democratic Party has shown more opposition to progressives within the party, such as Zohran Mamdani or Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, than to Republicans like the Trump administration. “I think it speaks to the fact that, you know, the one party that really does exist in this country is the party of oligarchs, right?” Ossé argued that “we really see the pushback to insurgents like Zohran or AOC as a reflection of how much power those oligarchs do not want to give up, both with the help of Republicans and Democrats.”

Despite namedropping New York’s most prominent Democratic socialist politicians, neither Mamdani nor Ocasio-Cortez are supporting Ossé’s primary challenge. The New York Times reported that Mamdani attempted to discourage Ossé from launching his challenge against Jeffries. Ossé has been seen as a political ally to Mamdani, while Jeffries delayed his support for Mamdani before eventually endorsing him weeks before the election. Nevertheless, Mamdani, who has not commented publicly about the congressional race, is said to be worried that the challenge may detract from his own progressive plans for New York City. Ocasio-Cortez, meanwhile, weighed in during a brief interview with Axios, telling the organization, “I certainly don’t think a primary challenge to the leader is a good idea right now.”

Ossé has his work cut out for him if he hopes to defeat Jeffries in Brooklyn, which the popular Democratic leader has represented for over a decade. And Ossé is launching his progressive insurgency without the backing of that movement’s two most popular New York politicians. Yet, both Ocasio-Cortez and Mamdani won their respective positions with anti-establishment campaigns, and Ossé is already expressing similar discontent with the political status quo.
The post Chi Ossé Files Paperwork To Challenge Hakeem Jeffries For House Primary: Here’s How Folks Are Reacting appeared first on Blavity.



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